The Wastelands
by MerryAnchor16
Summary: In a post-apocalyptic AU, a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde. Perhaps a little too much? ZoSan/SanZo. Rated T for swearing, violence, slavery, Yaoi and angst. NO LONGER A SERIES OF DRABBLES, NOW A MULTI-CHAP FIC :D
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocalyptic AU in which a guy and a his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**Enjoy! :3**

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Roronoa Zoro placed his hand to rest on the handles of his swords, the cases that homed the blades clattering as they jostled from the belt that held them tight to their Master's hip. He wasn't nervous, just that out in the Wastelands a person never knew what could come at them. There were feral animals, hostile gangs and Slavemasters that would pounce at the opportunity of fresh meat so, naturally, one had to remain a little cautious. With his other hand, Zoro held the blistered leather reins that led to the animal walking alongside him. The large reindeer held his ears back as it walked and wrinkled its nose against the dusty air. Sat on its back was a saddle with packs and small satchels strung up beside it containing all their provisionals. The deer grunted miserably at the heat and Zoro patted its rump comfortingly,

"It's okay, Chopper. We'll stop soon."

It was midday now and the sun was at its highest, its light glaring back off the rocks and sand under their feet. A little in the distance was the outline of the rocky slopes and crevices, the shapes of the wildlife moving around very clear even from as far back as they were.

Once, years ago, the slopes were actually a mountain range that stretched up impossibly tall. Zoro remembered them vaguely from his childhood, but had never paid much attention to be able to picture them in his mind. He was, afterall, only eight when the bombs went off.

But he remembered the bombs as if it had happened yesterday.

They had been awful. Everything was consumed by the fires and the explosions. Villages were obliterated and cities were destroyed in seconds. Smoke was thick in the air. Kuina was dead. Koshiro was dead. Out of a city of two million, only Zoro and three thousand others had survived. Even then, the radiation poisoning began to pick off the weakest. Zoro managed to escape it with a shock of mutated green hair and one eye that had evolved into a bright emerald colour, leaving the other a deep chestnut brown. He was a lucky one compared to what the other survivors ended up looking like.

Zoro pulled the bandana a little lower on his forehead, letting the dark fabric soak up the beads of sweat that had began to form, and returned his hand to his swords. He rubbed his thumb on Wado's hilt in time with his walk, feeling the folded metal of the white katana and it gave him a sense of security- like a mountain in a storm, steadfast and strong. A faint memory of Kuina's smile echoed in his mind and gave him a warm feeling inside. Stroking the weapon had become a habit ever since he had left the remains of that godforsaken city. Much like her previous Master, Wado held an aura of deep calm that seemed to flow into anything or anyone that needed it most. _Just like Kuina, _Zoro thought and a glimmer of a smile curved his lips.

* * *

Sometime later Chopper snorted excitedly and nudged Zoro with his snout, jolting the slumbering man awake and having him go straight for his swords. The green haired man dropped into an attacking position, a crimson sword drawn out in front of him. Kitetsu glinted in the afternoon sun.

After a moment of gathering his surroundings, Zoro straightened up with a sigh, "Chopper, what the Hell? You're supposed to wake me up if there's trouble..."

Chopper wasn't listening though. He was dancing circles around the man, cuffing up wisps of dust with his hooves and throwing his head back all the while making funny, almost hysterical grunts and squeaks. Zoro slid Kitetsu back home and made to grab the reindeer's reins but the creature simply skipped out of his way until he was making nothing but desperate snatches at the air, "Oi pack it in, baka. I don't wanna play right now," He lunged forward and grasped the leather straps tightly, pulling the deer back towards himself, "What's got into you, Chopper? Pack it in- Woah!"

In an instant, Chopper had him over and was dragging him along the ground to a small ditch that sloped down a few meters away from the crop of rocks they were resting at. Zoro had to close his eyes tight and hold his mouth firmly shut to stop the grit and dirt getting in as he was pulled relentlessly over small rocks that scratched sharply at his skin. When Chopper stopped running abruptly, Zoro hauled himself to his feet coughing and patting the dust of his clothes. He made to yell at the deer when he realised just what Chopper had got so upset over.

It was a guy.

Zoro stared, stunned by the possibility of finding another person. When was the last time he'd actually _seen _a real person? He couldn't remember; all these years alone with a mutated reindeer for company had left him with no reason to seek out human contact- he was happy with Chopper, and that's all he really wanted. Plus, there was no real sense in braving a radioactive wasteland to find someone who might turn out to be a theif and would kill you as soon as your back was turned was there? But in seeing someone after so long induced a sense of curiosity in him so he gripped the handle of Kitetsu and called out, "Oi!"

There was no response.

Zoro should have anticipated the silence- the guy was sort of collapsed on the ground- but you could never be too safe; what if this was a trap set up for a mugging? Or, even worse, a trap set by the Slavemasters to catch themselves some more victims. Zoro had had a run in with them before and they were **not **nice people. At all. He could still feel the collar they had put around his throat, squeezing and biting at his flesh painfully until it ripped his skin when he pulled it off. The scars still remained, deep and a shade darker, as a constant reminder of how evil people could be.

He knew he should turn away and leave the guy to his fate- if it turned out it was a trap then good for him for not being fooled, but if it turned out the guy genuinely needed help and died out here then...

"Dammit," Zoro snarled and made his way over to the man. Chopper didn't follow, staying where he was and paced nervously with his mutataed blue nose twitching and snuffling. Zoro glanced over his shoulders a few times before looking down at the man at his feet, "Oi, get up," He said but, yet again, there was no response. He put his foot out, nudging the man onto his back with his boot and looked him over.

The guy was pale. Really pale. He was almost white, like he'd been sun bleached. Ruffed up locks of blonde hair were flicked out around his neck and sprawled across his face. His cheeks were drawn and his eye sockets were a little sunk from lack of food. But what caught Zoro's interest was something else entirely.

There was a slave collar around this guy's throat.

The brass ring with its silver spiked studs gleamed wickedly at him in the sunlight. It hung from the skinny pale neck like a sick piece of jewelry and Zoro slipped his fingers underneath it, wary not to cut himself on the sharp edges, and felt gently around for the clasp. He pressed his fingers against it and drew Wado instead- Kitetsu would only be after blood and he didn't want to kill the guy. He pressed the blade where to where the key would go on the outside of the collar and shoved sharply. The metal case cracked and fell open and Zoro lifted the man's head and took the disgusting mark of slavery off, throwing it far away to the side. He checked the guy over for injuries and took off his scarf, using it as a makeshift bandage for the gash on the man's upper arm and tied it tight. He couldn't do much for the man's clothing though, the blonde was only in a pair of scruffy, cut up jeans but Zoro took off his coat and covered him in it in an attempt to keep at least the hot sun off the pale skin. He then lifted the blonde over his shoulder and called for Chopper.

Chopper snorted, happy that it hadn't turned out to be a trap, and galloped over, leaning down to let Zoro put the injured man on the saddle. The blonde was slumped forward against the reindeer's neck and his arms hung limply either side. Chopper grunted, worried. The deer could sense the sickness in him and it made him restless. Zoro took the reins and rubbed the animal's forehead soothingly,

"It's okay, Chopper. Let's go find somewhere to stay."

Chopper whined nervously as he felt the blonde cough weakly but followed when Zoro tugged on the reins, adjusting his movements every now and then so the man on his back would not fall.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**Chapter Two! I hope you all like it and thankyou for the lovely reviews I received- they make me so happy! :3 Oh and don't worry, Sanji will wake up in the next chapter, I just wanted to lay down some background info and emotion here ^-^ Please review! **

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Zoro stared at the man the other side of the cave. In the centre of the floor was a small fire made from the wood he'd collected a few hours earlier. The flames were not very big but Zoro didn't mind as long as it continued to supply heat. Outside night had fallen and the sounds of the nocturnal animals haunted the dark, their grunts, growls, snarls and shrieks riding on the air. Zoro held Wado on his lap, the case of the sword appearing orange as it reflected the fire, and had both hands clasping it protectively like a mother would a child. His mismatched eyes never strayed too far from the unconscious blonde unless it was to check on Chopper or if a particularly loud noise put him on edge.

Zoro had covered the man he'd found in a blanket from one of the saddle pockets despite the blonde's fever. Back in his home city Zoro had helped take care of the other survivors when it was discovered most of the doctors had died. They had all worked in teams, trying to aid each other as best they could, and he had picked up and learnt some useful care tips like now; if there's a fever, keep them as warm as possible so they sweat the illness out. Heck, even when he himself got sick with the radiation poisoning they did the same thing to him. But covering this blonde man in the cloth had just been a guess at a treatment. He didn't know what was wrong with the guy other than the fact he looked starved and had a gash on his left arm. Zoro had taken care of the cut using a roll of bandages he had salvaged once from an abandoned wreck of a house and had securely bound it up. His handiwork was a little sloppy- even Chopper had rolled his eyes at it- but it had staunched the bleeding so it was good enough for now. The whole lack of food thing couldn't be solved until the guy woke up but that didn't look like it would be happening any time soon.

Gingerly Zoro shuffled along the cave floor, the buckles of his belts and the katana cases scraping on the cool stone surface, and settled himself about an arms reach from sleeping blonde. Zoro peered at him closely, his brow furrowing in concentration. He listened to the slightly raspy but steady breathing that came from under the blanket and reach out, hooking his fingers and pulling the cloth down slightly. The face that met him was pretty in a handsome sort of way if you looked past the sweat soaked strands of a dirty blonde fringe and the dark bruises of bags that circled the eye sockets. Zoro took a good minute or two simply looking, drinking in all the facial features, and snickered to himself softly at the curl of the man's eyebrows, both of them curling to the right in a ridiculous manner.

Zoro touched his own eyebrows, the soft dark green hairs rubbing against his touch as his fingertips ran along them, "Do other people have curly eyebrows, Chopper?" He asked aloud and turned to the reindeer who was knelt down a few meters away. Chopper was watching him with a curious look in his dark eyes and made a confused grunt in response to his friend's question. Zoro hummed thoughtfully before nodding his head, "I'll ask him when he wakes up then, I'm sure he'd tell me... Where did he come from?"

The green haired man turned back to his source of interest when the blonde made a sighing noise and shifted slightly. For a moment Zoro was excited, sure he was about to wake up, but when the man made no effort to open his eyes disappointment made his back slouch. However, he soon got over it when he noticed the pale skin of a hand that had slipped out from under the covers. Zoro looked at it intensely and reached out slowly, like he was expecting to be attacked. From across the cave Chopper whined, tilting his head to the side and regarding the display between the two humans. This was the first time in their five years of travelling together that the reindeer had seen his friend with another person- the enemies and the run in with the Slavemasters didn't count on the basis that they had tried to kill them. This though, this was different. Chopper could sense the loneliness emanating from the swordsman strongly. Chopper wasn't a stupid reindeer, he'd known the whole time that Zoro was lonely but he just didn't know _how _lonely he'd been; five years with no human contact that consisted of care or companionship was bound to make even the most cold hearted of people feel isolated at some point. Chopper had tried his best to be a friend though he was only an animal- maybe it was just the 'herd' instinct in him- and, even though he wasn't human, he liked to believe he was some benefit to the green haired man he'd become so attached to. So he snorted gently through his nose, looking happily at Zoro's face as the swordsman gathered up the injured man's hand in his own two palms. The reindeer hoped sincerely in his heart that Zoro had at last found a companion.

* * *

Roronoa Zoro couldn't remember the last time he had done something as simple as holding a person's hand. He looked at the blonde's palm from every angle, inspecting it thoroughly as if he anticipated some form of violence. He looked at the lines on the pale skin, the wrinkles from where the fingers bent or the flesh folded, and ran his own fingers down it, feeling the warmth and- for some reason- a sense of comfort in his chest. He placed the limp hand against his own, comparing the two sizes curiously. The other man's was slightly larger than his own, but that was because the blonde's digits were slimmer and longer whereas his were broader and shorter. Zoro then took away one of his hands and used the other to part the man's fingers. He wanted to feel, to know and be reminded of what it was like to have contact with another person. Yes, said person was knocked out cold and unaware of his actions, but there was an unsettled writhing in the pit of his stomach that just couldn't be tamed by simple admirations and tentative brushes of contact. It wanted something more. It wanted the loneliness to stop, even if it was just for a moment. It wanted comfort and security and if Zoro just slipped his digits between the other's then everything would be okay.

Zoro took a deep breath and laced his fingers between the blonde's. It was a weird sensation to have someone so close and into his personal space after so many years that he almost let the hand go but he held on to it tighter when he realised the wish-wash feeling inside him had stopped. It was as if something deep within him had been comforted for the first time and it made him feel excited. He smiled to himself and behind him, Chopper grunted happily.

After spending a few more minutes holding the hand, Zoro let go and tucked the man's arm back under the blanket with a small smile. There was a warm buzz running through his blood and he liked it. He felt good for the first time in ages.

Chopper watched as Zoro got up, attached Wado back to his hip, threw a little more bark on the dwindling fire and came and sat beside him, resting his head on the deer's broad neck. Zoro sighed, contentedly, "Do you think he'll stay with us?" He asked.

Chopper brushed his blue nose against the side of Zoro's face and the swordsman got the message, bringing up his hands to rub soothingly along the reindeer's snout and cheeks. Chopper made a noise at the back of his throat and Zoro nodded, his mismatched eyes looking hopefully at the sleeping figure the other side of the cave,

"Yeah, I hope he does too."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**coolchessplayer- don't worry, the next chapter will be longer, I promise! This one is still a little short because there isn't as much interaction between Sanji and Zoro as there will be in Chapter 4 :) But at least Sanji is awake now so I hope you guys like it and please review! :3**

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Zoro was jolted awake by a large bang. He leapt up suddenly alert and Chopper followed suit, the large reindeer almost tripping over his own legs in a panicked struggle. Zoro drew Kitetsu instantly, breathing heavily at having been caught off guard. Another bang erupted next to his ear and he dropped to the ground, rolling over into a low crouch. He looked over his shoulder and stared at the large, smoking gap in the rock wall mere centimeters from where his head had been. His heart was beating crazily and a mixture of adrenaline, fear and confusion seemed to party in his blood, "What the fuck?" He hissed, "What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?!"

Chopper let out an hysterical bray, stomping his hooves loudly with his ears back flat. Zoro followed the deer's terrified gaze and froze as he met a stunning pair of pale blue eyes.

They were like crystals of ice, large and shiny from where they lurked behind strands of messy hair.

The blonde was fully conscious, panting heavily, and there was wild look in his eyes, like a cornered animal. The blankets had been thrown aside in what looked to be a rushed manner and they lay creased and forgotten at his bare feet. Like Zoro, the lean man was crouched low but had his back against the wall and his arms outstretched. His teeth were bared in a feral snarl and his hands were shaking as they clasped an object. Zoro's heart leapt.

A laser gun.

A fucking **gun.**

Mismatched green and brown eyes locked with cold blue as the two men stared each other out. Thoughts leapt over one another in Zoro's mind as he scolded himself internally. Why didn't he check for weapons? Why the fuck didn't he check?! He scowled to himself, '_Shit, fuck'. _To the left of him, Chopper was whimpering softly as he backed slowly into the wall, drawing in on himself to look as small as was possible. Aside from that, the only other noise in the cave was the rattling of the plating of the gun as it shook in pale, tremoring hands. Zoro made to move his arm but stopped when the blonde pointed the weapon directly at his forehead.

The snarl on the man's lips was completely forgotten and had been replaced with a shaken, uncertain look, "Don't move... The- the next one won't miss!"

Zoro blinked at the voice. The blonde's lips had moved so fast he wasn't even sure the man had spoken at all.

"Who are you?" The voice was a smooth, though slightly hysteric, baritone. Zoro remained quiet, the sound of another's voice speaking directly to him hit him like a tonne of bricks and he was overwhelmed by the simple act. Zoro knew how people spoke, he could hear his own voice afterall, but the blonde sounded nothing like him at all. His words had a sort of tang to it for some reason but it sounded nice and Zoro wanted to hear more of it. The blonde shook the gun threateningly, "Who the fuck are you? Tell me! Now!"

Zoro stumbled over his words to get them out, his voice eager and excited despite the risk of being shot at any minute. He practically shouted his name, "Zoro! Roronoa Zoro."

The blonde tensed a moment, obviously suspecting a sudden attack after the loud outburst. But when the man before him made no move other than to stare expectantly, he relaxed. He kept the gun up though, "Where am I?"

Zoro faltered at that question, "I... I don't know..."

"You don't know, or you don't want to tell me?"

Zoro frowned. He couldn't tell the man where he was because he wasn't sure himself. The swordsman had just walked to the nearest convenient shelter and it wasn't as if he could take out a map and show the guy because... Well... Zoro couldn't read, "I don't know. You were sick and I found you and I-"

"Thought you could make me a slave, yeah? You sick bastard, you fucked up big time. You don't even know who you're fucking messing with!" The blonde snapped and his fingers twitched. Another bang went off and Zoro had to drop to the side for cover and even then he narrowly dodged it. Chopper let out a squeal and was quick to dive to Zoro's side, placing himself between the armed man and his friend. The huge reindeer turned and lowered his sharp antlers in warning. The hair on his thick neck was pricked up and his ears were down, he stomped a large hoof and snorted. The sudden act of bravery had Zoro looking up and he saw the blonde's eyes widen in fear and his hands fell limp. The gun clattered to the ground.

Straight away the man was on his feet, staggering slightly for balance, "What the Hell is that?!"

Chopper huffed again and flicked his head forward, nudging toward the man with his antlers in a very clear message, _'You do NOT hurt my friend'. _Zoro scrambled up from the cold ground and stood beside Chopper, blocking the blonde from both sides as he held Kitetsu's blade out in warning, "I'm not trying to hurt you and I think you'll find you don't have a collar on any more. I'm not a Slavemaster."

Chopper pushed the gun away with a hoof, sending it skittering across the cave floor before the other tried to snatch it back up. Zoro continued, "I'm Zoro. This is Chopper. We brought you here after we found you. I took the collar off."

The blonde looked at Zoro skeptically before reaching slowly up to his neck but his face soon dropped to that of being stunned when the texture of metal meeting his fingertips was absent. His mouth opened and closed a few times, "You... You...?"

Zoro nodded to affirm the unspoken question, "You're welcome."

Slowly the blonde lowered himself to the floor again, back sliding down the rock wall behind as he slumped into the blankets. One hand was still clasped over his neck in disbelief and the other came up to meet his mouth. He dipped his head, hiding his face and eyes from sight as his hair flopped over and both Zoro and Chopper hesitated a moment as a long, pregnant silence enveloped them all. Zoro lowered Kitetsu and Chopper, no longer believeing the blonde was a threat, relaxed and stood normally, head turned and ears pricked up curiously.

No one said anything or moved for a good five minutes.

Then, so quietly that both man and reindeer had to strain their ears to hear it, a whisper disrupted the quiet, "Thank you..."

Zoro made to say something in response when a choked cry came from the blonde. It sounded awful, like everything sad in the world meshed up into one noise, and it took Zoro a moment to realise the man before him was _crying. _After that one sound, plenty more like it followed until the blonde was sobbing relentlessly and his entire frame shook with the force of them. Zoro sheathed Kitetsu and stood, staring at a loss of what to do for the person before him who had tried to kill him and was now thanking him. Chopper grunted quietly and his blue nose nudged Zoro's hand before his big brown eyes looked sadly over at the crying man. Zoro nodded a few times and the reindeer took a few tentative steps forward, hooves clopping on the stone floor, and stretched his neck out to snuffle at the blonde. Either he didn't notice or he was extremely good at ignoring things, but the man didn't even flinch at Chopper's advantages, not even when the deer began nuzzling the crown of his blonde head.

Zoro stood with no idea what to do as the man cried for all he was worth, one phrase stuck on his lips in a constant loop,

"Thank you... Thank you... Thank you..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**Oh wow. This story has become really popular! O: *bows* I'm so happy so many of you like it! :3 And thank you so much for all your lovely reviews- it appears Chopper is very popular! (:**

**That said, this chapter is longer on the account the story has begun to pick up and the fact I'm so happy from all your reviews! :D**

**I hope you like it and please review! ^-^**

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"Aren't you gonna eat?"

Zoro nudged the unopened pack of food. It wasn't exactly food- more of a paste filled with vitamin supplements and minerals that Zoro didn't really understand- but it didn't taste too bad and it kept him from going hungry so he was happy with it. He chewed the last of his mouthful and set the empty packet down, making a mental note to himself that he'd have to go foraging soon if he was to support the three of them with enough food. Next to him Chopper greedily lapped up his share, his long pink tongue flicking out comically.

The swordsman looked at the lone pack, full and untouched, that sat squat between him and the other person.

The blonde sat with his head down, looking at some spot on the ground. His blue eyes were framed with red circles and he'd brought the blankets around his lean frame like a barrier. He hadn't said anything nor moved much after crying all his tears. His eyes were still slightly watery and he sniffled on every odd breath or two but he looked too worn out to cry anymore. Zoro had been trying to get him to eat for almost an hour now but the guy didn't seem to have any motivation within him to move despite how loud his stomach protested and yearned, making its discomfort known as its growls ripped through the silence.

Also, neither of them could seem to get close to the blonde. If Zoro attempted to then the blonde simply shuffled away, hiding lower into the blanket. And he seemed to be anxious of Chopper, so there was no way the reindeer could stay close long enough to make an impression. Zoro cleared his throat and tried again,

"You gonna eat or not?"

A second passed in the usual silence when a sudden movement caught Zoro by surprise. The blonde shook his head briefly, the movements jerked and irregular. Zoro smiled encouragingly in spite of the negative answer because at least the other was willing to communicate now.

It was a start.

Zoro then put on a serious face, "You must be hungry. Eat it."

The other man drew in on himself further and turned his face away, letting the long flop of his fringe hide the left side of his face completely and began fingering the bandage on his left arm, picking at the threads anxiously from under the blanket. Zoro frowned,

"Oi, stop that. You'll hurt yourself."

The blonde muttered softly under his breath, "Not hungry."

Zoro sighed in frustration, "Fine," He picked up the packet and put it to the side, "You're not hungry then."

"Arm hurts," The other whispered, still fidgeting with the wound.

Zoro took this as an opportunity. If the man was talking then he'd be able to get some answers, even if they were short, "What happened to you?"

Blue eyes peered out at him, "Ran away."

"Ran away? Why-?" The swordsman started but paused midsentence. He'd found the blonde in the Wasteland with a slave collar on- why else would he have run away? His mind pieced two and two together, "You ran away from your Master? Is that what happened?"

The other man shrugged but said nothing more. Chopper, finished with his food, loomed around Zoro's shoulder with his nose snuffling and his ears twitching. Zoro snaked up an arm and rubbed the reindeer's chin generously. Chopper hummed and licked him up the side of his face, his long pink tongue wet and warm. Zoro pushed him away playfully, "Ugh! Gross!"

Chopper whined and licked him again, slobbering up his friend's neck and chin. He made to do it once more but Zoro put his hand over the reindeer's mouth in an effort to stop him. Chopper grunted and settled for drooling all over the swordsman's fingers instead, "Ew! Damn it Chopper, why?!"

He made to scold the far-too-happy animal further when a soft sound caught his attention. He turned his head, Chopper still consuming his arm, to see the blonde haired man shaking, small gaspy laughs jumping out of his mouth. The sound of his laughter kindled a warm feeling in the pit of Zoro's stomach and he smiled. This was how he had envisioned his first interactions with the stranger; he'd wanted the happiness, the smiles because he'd never really had much of either growing up after Kuina and Koshiro's deaths. He knew it would have taken some effort to get the blonde to relax a little around him after the events that had unfolded earlier but he didn't think childish antics, especially from Chopper, would have worked so efficiently.

Thinking of Chopper, the frisky reindeer still had a firm hold on Zoro's arm and his tongue was sliding up and down on it, making his skin uncomfortably damp. He shook the limb and in the end had to resort to prying the deer off with his other hand. He made to cuff him but Chopper merely sidestepped and began prancing circles around him in a taunting manner, hooves clopping noisily.

All the while, the blonde's chuckles became more confident until he was laughing at a considerable volume. This, however, seemed to attract the suddenly hyper deer and he bounded toward the man. Instantly, the smile dropped and the laughs stopped and the blonde visibly tensed. Zoro put out a hand, "Oi, Chopper. Get back here."

The reindeer completely ignored the order and snuffled at the other man. The blonde didn't move a muscle, panic written on every inch of his face as Chopper sniffed him over, the quick rate of his breathing ruffling the long gold locks. Then, very quickly, Chopper's tongue whipped out to touch his cheek. The blonde took a sharp inhale and Chopper licked him again, nudging him with his snout.

Zoro's heart was pounding, afraid the blonde would snap at any second and pull out another concealed weapon from God knows where. Just because he'd took away one gun didn't mean the guy had no others. He watched attentively, waiting for the inevitable violent response, when the blonde's pale arms slipped out from under the blanket and reached up slowly, tentatively. Chopper paused, lowering his head when he saw the hands coming toward him and met him halfway. The man petted his snout gingerly at first- all tiny pats and half hearted strokes- until a strange look came to his eyes and he began to fuss the reindeer with bigger, more deliberate hand movements. Chopper let out a pleased sigh and Zoro watched as the blonde's pink lips slowly, but surely, curved up into a smile.

"Chopper," The young man murmured and started to tickle his ears. Chopper, being the daft soppy creature he was, practically melted into the touch and ran a lazy lick up the side of his face causing the man to chuckle.

Zoro relaxed and sat back, watching the display with less nervousness but the tension still hovered and his gaze flickered all over the other man just in case this was a ruse.

Suddenly, two large blue eyes looked across at him and the blonde whispered, "Sanji."

Zoro frowned, "Wha?"

"Sanji," Came the reply and the blonde- Sanji- pointed at himself. Zoro nodded in understanding,

"Sanji," He repeated then pointed at his own chest, "Zoro."

Sanji bobbed his head up and down, "I know," Then he smiled as the reindeer nuzzled into his face, "Chopper..." He looked back at Zoro and bit his lip, looking down at the floor, "Zoro? I'm hungry."

Zoro couldn't help the broad smirk that split his face and leaned to the side, picking up the discarded food packet and sliding it across the ground. Sanji picked it up, "Thank you..."

Zoro admitted to himself that at first he thought the blonde couldn't speak much at all due to a little to no education but, despite how fragmented the responses were, Sanji did in fact know much vocabulary to talk as he had proved earlier when he attempted to paint the cave walls with Zoro's brain. He watched Sanji as he tore open the packet and slowly bit into a mouthful. He wondered where this guy had come from. He said he'd run away from somewhere, most likely his Master, but other than that he didn't know much else if he was honest.

Lost in thought, Zoro studied Sanji out of the corner of his eye as the man took another sluggish bite and swallowed, the insistent grumbling of his stomach fading away and one hand busy tickling Chopper under the chin.

"We'll leave tomorrow," Zoro stated out of the blue. Sanji had woken up and didn't seem badly injured and it wasn't considered safe to stay in one place for too long.

Sanji swallowed his mouthful, "Okay..."

"Are you coming with us?" Zoro tried to make it sound casual but in the deepest part of his heart he hoped the blonde would in fact be coming with them.

There was a brief moment where Sanji paused mid chew and frowned slightly. He hummed softly before nodding, "Yes..."

After saying that, his eyes looked to Zoro for approval and the swordsman simply smiled at him, "Okay then."

Inside his chest, Zoro's heart raced and sang with joy.

He couldn't wait for tomorrow; braving the Wastelands with his new friend.

* * *

**WAH! VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE HERE!**

**AS FROM THE 8TH OF JULY, THIS FANFIC WILL NOT BE UPDATED UNTIL THE 23RD OF JULY AS I AM OUT OF THE COUNTRY. I WILL TRY TO SNEAK IN AN UPDATE BEFORE THE 8TH BUT IF I DON'T MANAGE TO, YOU GUYS WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT. SORRY! THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW/COMMENT/SUGGESTION!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**AN: Sooooooo yay! New chapter! Hope you like it (: **

**Also, it has been suggested to me that I write a new summary for this story so it sounds a little better. I will get round to this, it's just that I suck at summarizing :L**

**Just a quick note to you guys, but I will be writing a one-shot that explains how Zoro and Chopper met because I just thought it'd be nice ^-^**

**Enjoy and please review! :3**

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He sat on the edge of bed, legs overhanging the side and back curved into a C shaped slump. He turned his palm over, rubbing his exposed wrist with the other hand to soothe the scarlet marks that marred the skin. The cuffs had been tighter than usual today, but maybe that was his warning after being caught conversing with another person. He dreaded to think what had happened to the other man but he knew he was most likely dead now as he hadn't been brought in for 'Repairs'.

He stared at a spot on the floor, moving his arms to scratch his ear which caused the collar around his throat to jingle in a taunting manner and he sighed heavily. The floor was still untidy, smears and small pools of blood dotted around that would have to be cleaned up later- he was honestly too tired to cope with that right now. Thirty six 'Repairs' today. Thirty six. And each one more bloodier and broken than the last.

His fingers ached from pulling the thread and needle, his eyes strained from trying to feed the thread through the eye of it and there were stains on his coat that were surely never going to come off. But what was worse was the collection of images burned into his retinas- more disturbing memories to hide at the back of his mind and pretend were never there. Broken limbs, bloodied wounds and, worst of all, broken souls. Sure, he could fix them, patch their wounds and operate where necessary, but he couldn't fix them mentally and that's what angered him most. The collar around his neck, the extendable chain that kept him confined to this room, not even the number burned into the flesh of his left collarbone were as bad as the faces he saw in this place; pale skin, blank expressions and wide, tortured eyes. They were not people here, they were animals- cooped up together as though they were in a Battery Farm (and probably treated as though they were in one as well). It pained him more than any beating he'd ever received to see person upon person, all slaves like him, walk past completely and utterly in ruins and him not able to help them. He was a doctor. Helping was what he was good at. But it seemed, that even to a once prodigy like him, some people can never be fixed.

He looked up as the door to his room clanged, the noise sounding like an explosion in the silence of his thinking, and the small panel at the bottom slid up to allow a tray to sidle its way in. He watched silently as the panel banged shut again, disconnecting him once more from the world outside and stayed where he was for a moment before getting up. He turned back to the bed to take the length of chain that led to his neck into his arms before padding over to the small tray, feeding the chain loose steadily so that he wouldn't get tangled in it like he did those many years ago when he was first brought to this God forsaken Hell hole. His bare feet splashed on the floor as he passed the operation table. He cringed inwardly, knowing exactly what it was he'd trodden in but really wished he didn't know at all.

When he reached the tray, the chain had almost gone taut and he could feel the metal on the collar beginning to press to his throat uncomfortably as he sat down, using the length of his arm to stretch and drag the tray towards himself. It wasn't anything impressive; bread, slightly cloudy water and some sort of 'food' on his plate that he really didn't know how to begin to describe at all. He tucked in with little thought- he'd learnt quickly that refusing to eat here resulted in either a beating or starvation until you had no option but to eat. So there was no option when it came down to it.

He leaned against the door, the chain finally extended to the last of its length and snapped taut. He winced at the brief pain and ignored the sensation of a small trickle of something hot sliding down his neck.

And he listened.

Outside, the sound of chattering Slave Catchers and Masters echoed loud and clear against the muffled wails and clanking of chains. He listened to their voices, picking out the important information. This was how he stayed on top of everything around here and, in a strange way, it calmed him; just knowing that there was a world beyond the four walls and he could still be a part of it, no matter how small, kept him from going over the edge even on his darkest days.

His fingers rubbed one of the tattoos that marked his wrist, the long digits tracing the circle and its spokes as he chewed a mouthful, eavesdropping on the two Catchers that stood near his room door. They were still talking about the one that escaped- it's all they'd been on about for the past two days.

It had taken him a while to piece the fragments of the story together but he'd eventually done it. It turned out that during a transfer, one of the slaves went batshit crazy and attacked two guards, killing them both, and had managed to make a run for it. He shook his head, the poor bastard had tried so hard but he was probably dead. The Wastelands were unforgiving, especially to a weak, half starved to death slave.

They had had slaves escape before but they were usually forgotten within half a day after their bodies, dead or alive, had been dragged back from the Wastes. But, apparently what made this one so special was that he was a slave that belonged to the Boss. The slave's number- for their real names were irrelevant here- was '28'.

He remembered 28 clearly; blonde hair, blue eyes, slim build with a slight mutation that had developed over the years from living here that had made his eyebrows curl. In all honesty, he only remembered 28 as well as he did because he was the most frequent visitor to this Infirmary room at one point. 28 was only a teen when he'd first met him- his first admission for a suspected broken wrist which turned out to be a bad jarr in the end- but it was clear from that single meeting that the Slave Catchers had caught themselves a basket case. The admissions started off slowly- once every few months- but they soon became more frequent and each injury more horrendous than the last. He was an unruly character, unwilling to submit and picking fights with every person he met regardless of the injuries he would inevitably suffer. In some ways he had admired 28's actions wishing he had had the courage to fight back, but in others he looked down on it- it was easier to just submit, to give up fighting and act like you didn't exist because it evaded trouble well.

He kicked the tray away with one leg, finishing off the last mouthful bitterly. All this thinking had dragged him down and he unconsciously rubbed his left collarbone with his right hand, using the fingers that spelt out 'DEATH' to run over the ridges of the numbers that were forever his own identity.

Here he wasn't Trafalgar Law anymore. Here he was number '16'.

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**AN: Wow, short chapter I know, but I don't think I could've made this one any longer or else it'd just be one enormous ramble that would seem to go on and on forever and you know what they say- keep it short and sweet! :D**

**Zoro, Sanji and Chopper will be back in the next chapter, I just wanted to introduce you to the life Sanji left behind :)**

**Also, I had a review saying someone felt like doing art to this and I am so touched ;-; if you guys want to make art to it then by all means do! I'd love to see it! ^-^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**AN: New chapter guys! Warning: ANGST ALERT! Just so you guys know :) Also, I had a lovely piece of artwork sent to me this week by Kumiko Hasegawa which I am now using as the cover to this fic. I absolutely love it! If you want to see the bigger version then check out her DeviantArt page, her username is PrisonerofConvention (I would give the link but the site won't allow it :/ ). Also, check out her other art too- it's awesome :)**

**Enjoy and please leave a review!**

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Sanji relished the sun. He sat on Chopper's back, unable to walk on the rocky terrain barefoot, with his feet hooked through the stirrups of the saddle and his hands gripping the reins firmly. He'd never ridden a... a... a whatever this animal was before in his life and it was uncomfortable and extremely unnerving. His body moved, lurching forward with each of Chopper's steps, and it shook him about on the seat of the saddle but he didn't mind it too much.

At least he was out in the sun.

He'd spent so long in the dark, trapped under lock and key, that he'd almost forgotten how good it felt to have the light on him, warming his skin. He held the reins with one hand whilst the other brushed against the skin of his neck subconsciously. Ten years of wearing that wretched ring around his neck, day in, day out. They had choked him with it, chained him into his room with it and tortured him with it. But, in some way, he felt strange that it was gone- sad almost.

And it made him feel sick to even think like that.

He dropped his hand down and looked at Zoro who was walking slightly ahead with a bandana secured around his head, masking his vivid green hair. God, that had been a shock to wake up to earlier that morning. Sanji had heard of the radiation sickness survivors but he'd believed they'd be mutated. Zoro did have his mutations- his one sharp green eye and his hair- but he thought that they would be more disfigured than that. He'd seen some survivors back in his birth city but they were monstrous compared to Zoro. This guy had been insanely lucky to have got off so easy.

"How's your arm?" Zoro piped up, his voice deep. Sanji shrugged,

"S'alright..." He muttered. Sanji was keeping to short words and vague answers. This guy may have saved him but he didn't trust him yet. What if this was some sort of plan to take him back to that God awful place? What if Zoro wanted his trust so that one night he'd jump Sanji in his sleep and he'd wake up back in that cage, starved or beaten as punishment? No, he wouldn't tell this guy and his pet anything at all. But what if Zoro was genuinely a nice guy- someone who wouldn't think of hurting him or selling him back? He had, after all, removed the slave collar from his throat so surely it was okay to trust him a little?

Or maybe Zoro was insanely good at acting.

Sanji didn't know the guy. Who was to say that he didn't lure victims in to kill them? Or that he was actually a Slavemaster? Sanji bit his lip in frustration- he honestly didn't know what to believe right now.

Little pangs of pain ran up his left arm but he ignored it, he'd unraveled the poorly bound bandage slightly that morning to get a better look at the damage. It wasn't too bad a cut- nothing, really compared to what he was used to- and it seemed to be healing fairly well by itself, the skin becoming tight and a little itchy. If he kept it clean enough, he was sure it would resolve itself entirely. Sure, it'd be another scar added to the collection but he didn't mind it too much. This would become a scar to be proud of. A mark on his skin that signified his escape from misery. It would be a fond scar, one he'd accept on his flesh and wear with pride.

A very different scar to the one on his left collarbone.

As Zoro walked ahead, completely oblivious to the other's brooding, Sanji took the reins in one hand and slipped the other under the collar of the coat the green haired man had given him to wear. His long fingers brushed over the two ridges that jutted out. He knew them well; tight, white marks that were harder to see on his pale skin but were there none the less. He traced the numbers.

28.

His number. His identitiy. Forever.

A hollow feeling ebbed its way into his stomach as he was reminded once more that he was always a part of that place, whether he wanted to be or not.

"Sanji?" Zoro cut in, shattering his thoughts. The blonde blinked in surprise,

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" The other was looking him directly in the face and Sanji suddenly realised they'd stopped walking, one of Zoro's strong hands holding the rope around Chopper's snout that passed for a bridle. He met the man's gaze, unable to answer for a moment as he locked with the one brown and one green eyes. He could see the concern in them, wide and childlike with his eyebrows slightly furrowed and he could see everything else in them too. Sanji was stunned.

Zoro was an open book.

Maybe it was because of this abrupt realisation, but the blonde felt something deep inside him, tucked away out of sight that said he could trust this man, that Zoro wasn't a threat like he'd thought...

"Sanji?"

"Huh? Oh... Yeah. I'm fine," The blonde stuttered.

Zoro's frown melted into a relieved smile, "Good. I was worried, you looked real sick for a moment there."

"Yeah..."

"Anyway we're gonna be stopping for a while, Chopper doesn't do too well in the heat."

And, as if to prove his point, Sanji looked down at the reindeer to see him panting heavily. He nodded in agreement and swung his legs over the saddle, pivoting on his hips. Zoro held out a hand to him, "Want some help?" He asked, nothing but innocence and a warm offer of friendship in his eyes and smile. It was almost too much for Sanji to bear. So he shook his head, ignoring the hand outstretched to him, and slid down Chopper's side, letting go of the reins.

He hit the ground slightly askew and wobbled at the impact, staggering to try and grab back his balance when something grabbed his shoulder and held him upright. He looked up as Zoro chuckled lightly,

"Careful," He smirked.

Sanji shrugged him off, knocking the other man's hand from him and causing it to slip under the gap of his coat collar and land on- on...

Zoro's eyes widened, "What-?"

Shame hit Sanji like a tonne of bricks and he grabbed the green haired man's wrist and flung it from him, snatching his fingers away from those disgusting numbers.

"Get off me," He growled and tried to pull the collar back up but Zoro was already on him, grabbing the material and pulling it back to show the ugly marks to the whole world. Sanji twisted in his grasp but to no avail, Zoro was too strong, "Let go of me! Don't look at them! I-"

"What are they?" The green haired man asked, his eyes curious.

Sanji was panicking, way out of his comfort zone as Zoro- a guy he didn't know and didn't even trust yet- tried to inspect the two scars. He tried to calm himself, tried not to picture his Master coming at him again as he cowered on the floor, the pain in his collarbone intense and his skin blistering from the newly branded numbers. Zoro's hand was millimeters away. Sanji was almost hysterical, the memory of his branding so strong he felt like his skin was burning all over again. He wanted to scream. He wanted this man away from him. He-

He punched Zoro in the face.

He felt the impact of it shoot up his arm and the two men fell backwards into the dust, Sanji hissing as the gash on his arm flared. He scrabbled to his feet quickly though, anger and embarrassment quaking through him, "Leave me the fuck alone! Stop acting like you care you fucking freak!" Hot tears brimmed in his eyes and he rubbed at them with his sleeve briefly.

Chopper brayed angrily and stood in front of the blonde with his horns down low, protecting the other from him. Sanji snarled at him too, "Fucking stupid pet!" He roared and, without thinking, raised his fist again in a vicious swing. He brought it down in blind anger, full intent on hitting something, anything. He hated them. Hated how they cared. It was fake. All fake.

They had no idea what he'd suffered.

No idea of those 10 years in fucking HELL.

"Sanji..."

He felt something grab his wrist and stalled as Zoro's mismatched eyes met his, his tanned hand holding his arm in a vice tight grip, stopping it from landing before he hit Chopper.

"Sanji?" Zoro asked. He looked hurt. Not from the pain of his lip, which was now split and bleeding nicely, but from something more than that. It was in his eyes, those goddamn odd and open eyes. Sanji could see it all. Zoro wasn't hurt from the punch.

He was hurt _because _Sanji had punched him.

The blonde snatched his wrist roughly from Zoro's grasp with a scowl. Fuck Zoro, he didn't know a fucking thing about anything. He was just some shitty stranger with a shitty pet who pretended to care about shitty people like him.

"Sanji-" Zoro started.

"Stop pretending to care," Sanji snapped.

The other man frowned with a confused look that had all the innocence of a puppy, "Pretending?"

The blonde let out a sigh that came out as a growl and stormed off, brutally shoving the other aside.

"Leave me alone, Zoro. You don't know anything."


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**AN: Ugh, this felt like a genuine effort to write but it had to be written or else the story wasn't going to get anywhere. I'm sorry it took a while but I rewrote this so many times just looking for the right way to word it :/ But now it's completely off to a kickstart and I can finally write longer, more fighting and more actual romance chapters. Sanji and Zoro's relationship will be a slowly developed one and there probably won't be any realisation of love until about 3/4 of the way through so please bear with me here :L**

**Either way, I hope you like this chapter and I wonder if any of you managed to guess who Sanji's Master was (he's finally mentioned in this, guys!).**

**Next chapter will be more Sanji, Zoro and Chopper and some definite awesome fighting. It should be up next week (but I'm terrible at updating). If it's not up it's most likely because I forgot I wrote it and didn't upload it so please feel free to leave me a polite (or angry) reminder ^-^**

**Please enjoy and review!**

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Zoro winced as he licked his bottom lip, his tounge pressing into the cut and making it burn fiercely. He didn't even know what he had done wrong exactly but he had to admit, he was impressed by Sanji's punch. For such a skinny guy he really did have a well executed swing.

Speaking of the blonde, Zoro looked across to the other man. Sanji was sat at least twenty metres away from him with his knees drawn up, face hidden by his fringe and his neck burrowed into the short sleeveless coat Zoro had given him. His bare feet were pressed into the ground, toes curled up and gripping at the thin layer of dust, reminding the green haired man that he really needed to find some shoes for the blonde to wear.

Chopper nudged him, snatching Zoro out of his thoughts, and snuffled at his mouth with a concerned grunt at the sight of blood. Zoro moved his head away, "I'm alright, Sanji didn't mean it..." He said, brushing the whole incident off with a shrug of the shoulders before frowning, "I think..."

Chopper made a funny noise, almost like a growl though reindeers weren't supposed to, and narrowed his eyes, sending a dirty look in Sanji's direction.

Zoro re-ran the previous events over in his mind, the events that had led up to Sanji's fist meeting his mouth, and paused as he remembered the feeling of the two rigid scars against his fingertips. Unconsciously, he rubbed his thumb over the pads of the two fingers he had touched it with and thought of how the blonde's face had twisted, how his body went stiff and the big blue eyes turned wild. Zoro swallowed thickly; that was what triggered the punch, that's what he did wrong.

But what were they? They couldn't have been just scars or else there would have been no problem with a brief piece of contact. No. They were significant scars, they symbolised something. And judging from Sanji's response, they didn't stand for something good. Guilt ebbed in Zoro's stomach; how could he have been such an idiot? Sanji was an escaped slave with no idea where he was or who to trust and Zoro- some stranger who just happened to pick him up- was poking in to his private life? "No wonder he fucking punched me," The green haired man murmured, a frown furrowing his brow. He looked up at Chopper, whom was still giving Sanji the darkest look a reindeer could possibly offer a person, and reached up, flicking his blue nose, "Hey, stop that- I deserved it."

Chopper snorted, wrinkling his nose, and gave Zoro a sceptical look. Zoro cocked an eyebrow at him and ran a hand up his snout to grip the base of his left antler, which was bigger than Zoro's entire arm, under the metal ring and pull the deer in closer so they were at eye level.

"Remember when I found you?" Zoro asked and immediately Chopper's eyes widened, gazing at his friend with huge brown orbs. The deer grunted softly, "You were really scared of me, weren't you? You attacked me..." Chopper looked down in shame at that part and Zoro used his free hand to rub his crown soothingly, "But I deserved it- I scared you something stupid and that was the only way you could react. I cornered you and you panicked. So don't you see, Chopper?"

Chopper whined, no, no he did not see what his friend was getting at. Zoro offered him a warm smile, "Sanji is like you were back then. He's scared and lonely and I cornered him whrn I asked him about those scars so he panicked, just like you did! Don't you see?"

The large reindeer nodded in response and Zoro hummed thoughtfully, "He needs to be shown that I'm not scary... We can do that can't we?"

Chopper snickered and pushed his head against Zoro's chest and neck, almost knocking the man off balance. The green haired man huffed with a smile and tickled the back of his ears, making the deer whine in contentment before he pulled away to look at the blonde.

The other man was still drawn in on himself, showing no signs of having overheard their discussion, with the sunlight directly hitting his back in a way that Zoro knew from experience would be uncomfortably hot but Sanji didn't seem to care. There was something unsettling about the way the blonde man just sat there, gathered up, as thin as Chopper's antlers and completely numb to his surroundings. It wasn't right and a sense of nervousness writhed in Zoro's stomach. If Zoro was going to have to get through to Sanji it was going to be hard work and he knew it. He let go of Chopper and let his fingers grace along Wado, her white case glinting in the light, and he nodded to himself. He would have to build up a level of trust with Sanji, just like he had all those years ago with Chopper. It would take time, he knew, but if you wanted something badly then you had to work to earn it and Zoro wanted more than anything right now for Sanji to be his friend.

* * *

"So you've found him?"

"No not yet, sir. But we believe we're on the right track."

"How so?"

The young Slavemaster swallowed tightly, a bead of sweat formed on his temple and slowly crawled down his face. Fear trembled through him as he faced the row of scuffed windows. Dirty sunlight made shafts of murky yellow on the cracked tile floor and dust danced in the patches of light. To his right was the man who'd addressed him. He had his back facing the Slavemaster and was leant against the window frame. He was tall, unnaturally so and held an aura of danger and importance that shrouded him tighter than the feathered jacket that he wore. He turned to face the young man and the lenses of his glasses flashed eerily, "How so?" He repeated once more, his lips pulled in a serious line, "Tell me."

"We have someone tracking him. He's the best in the business, I made sure of it. He said to leave it all to him and he'd have Twenty Eight back quicker than you'd believe."

The taller man smirked and rubbed his fingertips over the rings on his left hand, "And who is this 'Best In The Business' man?"

"He... He didn't give a name sir. He said to tell you that The Hyena has got it all under control."

The man paused in fondling the rings and chuckled, "Fufufu~ 'The Hyena', eh? It's nice to hear from him again, I was beginning to think he'd died... Well you may tell dear Bellamy-kun that I give him my regards and that I demand he finds my little runaway soon- we don't want Twenty Eight to actually get back to his hometown now."

"Yes sir," The Slavemaster replied and turned on his heel to leave.

"Oh, and find Two for me. I have a little... issue... that I need to be resolved and send word to Sixteen his medical skills will be required afterwards."

"Yes, sir," The Slavemaster opened the door and the other man smirked behind him.

"And please, address me by my title from now on."

The younger looked back at the tall man who was now admiring both sets of rings on his hands and nodded curtly,

"Of course, Joker-san."

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**AN: Why are they so determined to capture just one slave? What will happen when Bellamy finds them? You'll have to wait to find out! ;)**

**Please review- I'd like to know how many of you guessed Joker would be Sanji's Master ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**AN: Wow, this chapter is definitely the longest so far but I enjoyed writing it loads (schoolwork doesn't matter :L ). It might be a couple of days, perhaps a week, until the next update but I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review because I love reading all your lovely comments! ^-^**

**Enjoy!**

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_Sanji sat on the table, idly swinging his legs and staring at the grain of the wood. His hair was ruffed up and matted with dirt, his clothes stained, thin arms scuffed up with bruises and his bottom lip bust. But he was still smiling; he was the victor of that fight. Zeff came at him again with a cloth soaked in antiseptic and he began dabbing at the young boy's lip, holding his chin firmly when he tried to flinch away._

_The old man was frowning at him from above that ridiculous moustache as he worked and Sanji knew he was in for a scolding, "I really wish you'd stop getting into fights you silly brat. Next time I won't be fixing you back up again."_

_He stopped wiping the boy's lip and Sanji used the pause to snatch his face away, "Wasn't my fault," He pouted, "They started it."_

_"I'm sure they did, little Eggplant," Zeff said, smirking at the way the blonde cringed at the nickname, "But I don't want to have to keep apologising to people because my little brat beat the crap outta their kid. Besides, that's not what I've been teaching you Savate for."_

_Sanji looked up, his eyebrows furrowed and looking entirely pitiful in his beat up state, "But they-! You don't understand! They laugh at me and-"_

_"You just ignore them. They're just silly little brats," Zeff said firmly, taking a bandage out of the box on the table and began to wind it around the blonde's sprained and bruised wrist._

_"Shitty old geezer! You don't even-" Sanji barked only to be cut off by the old man- his adoptive father- again._

_"Trust me, Eggplant, they won't be beating you up any more when you cure all of this," He pointed to the window with his free hand, indicating the barren wasteland that lay beyond the city walls, "You're more special than they'll ever know so they're going to give you a hard time but you just ignore them, okay? I taught you Savate because your mom wanted you to know how to protect yourself from the world, not some shitty brats." He brought his hand down and continued finishing securing the bandage on the child's arm. The second he'd finished and made to move away, he was attacked by two thin arms and a small body. He held the younger close as Sanji hugged him, the blonde burrowing his head into his shoulder,_

_"I'm sorry," Sanji whispered._

_Zeff smiled and rubbed his back gently, "Just promise me you won't do it again."_

_"... I won't."_

_"Good. Now get going, I don't want to see your face round here until Hogback's finished with you."_

_Sanji hopped down off the tabletop, "Okay, okay. I'm going, I'm going... shitty old man..." He stalked out of the room, Zeff calling after him,_

_"I heard that, brat!" _

_Sanji smiled._

_}[]{_

_All Blue was once one of the biggest cities in the world before the war and before the bombs fell. But it was still pretty big, even now, and Sanji liked to think that it still held its former title of being one of the largest. After the attacks, after the fires had been put out, the wounded treated, the dead buried and after Sanji had lost his mother, work on rebuilding the city had begun. It wasn't anything like the original All Blue; the brick houses were gone, the skyscrapers no longer graced the sky but slumped on the ground, the roads were cracked and there were no more bright illuminations, no more cinema and nothing Sanji had loved visiting or looking at in his brief childhood. Now there were buildings forged from scrap metal, their corrugated iron walls and roofs reflecting the intense sunlight. In a way though, he still loved it. This was still his home._

_Walking alongside the border walls, Sanji made his way to the entrance gates. Hogback could wait a while- he hadn't visited his mother's grave for some time now. Anyway, he didn't want to have to sit through hours of testing and waiting. It was boring and painful. He knew that it was all for a good cause but was it really that selfish of him to just want a few moments alone? In between Savate lessons and getting into fights, Sanji had very little free time- all the rest of it being taken up by Hogback- and he just wanted to... get away from it all sometimes. Being the possible cure to the radiation poisoning that sickened both the world and its people put an insane amount of pressure on him and sometimes it got a little too much._

_Looking down the main entrance path, Sanji checked the coast was clear of any neighbours or Zeff himself- he didn't want to be caught sneaking out when he was supposed to be seeing the doctor on the other side of town. Deciding he wouldn't be spotted, the blonde slipped around the corner and reached on the balls of his feet to thumb in the combination code to the lock. The gates were each three times the size of him and after the lock came loose he half pushed one open and squeezed through the tiny gap, shutting it after him and the gate hissed as it relocked itself._

_}[]{_

_His mother's grave wasn't anything fancy but, unlike some of the others, it at least had a headstone albeit a makeshift one. Sanji sat down next to it, huddling in to the weather worn stone that bore her name in roughly engraved letters, and looked out across at the other dozens of graves. Not all the bodies were here, Sanji remembered the mass graves and cremations. With so many people dead in such a short time, the remaining city folk couldn't cope with the demanding numbers. It was only because his mother had died a year after that she was not buried or burned with them._

_It was the radiation sickness that took her in the end and she had gotten to the point where parts of her were so mutated that she didn't even look human in places. But Sanji tried not to think of that image of her, he promised himself he never would because he knew that if he did he'd just fall apart. So he remembered her as she was. Young, pretty, with long blonde hair the same colour as his own and her two happy green eyes; his blue ones were apparently his father's._

_He placed his small hand on the headstone and frowned. He wondered what his dad was like. Did he live in All Blue or was he from somewhere else? Was he still alive or was he dead? 'Does he even know about me?' Sanji thought, rubbing his fingers on the stone as if, somehow, his mother would give him the answer. She didn't, of course._

_Sanji sighed and pushed himself up to his feet, pulling down the hem of his blue shirt where the fabric had ridden up and dusted down the seat of his tattered shorts. He smiled down warmly at the grave beneath his feet, "Bye mom. Love you."_

_He scampered off down the pathway, a warm feeling uplifting his heart._

_}[]{_

_It all happened so quickly that Sanji had barely anytime to register it until the body hit the ground with a sick smack._

_Zeff was dead._

_Dead._

_Zeff was DEAD._

_"No!" Sanji screamed, thrashing fiercely against the hands that grasped his shoulders. Tears streaked his face, his cheeks reddening with the exertion of it all._

_How had this happened?_

_How had it come to this?_

_"Zeff!" He wailed, watching as the old man's blood pooled out and down into a trail that slid slowly down and through the crevices in the floor. A sharp pain flared on the side of Sanji's head with a sharp crack and he cried out as the hands let go. He tumbled to the floor, hands pressing where he'd been struck, and the boot of the man behind him pressed heavily on his tiny back._

_"Enough Sanji, give it up," Hogback said sternly, giving him a firm look from behind his glasses. Sanji just managed to look up,_

_"Why? Zeff..."_

_"Did you really think I'd just let someone with your... capabilities just roam free? I know people who'd pay a pretty price for you and let's just say..." He cackled, flashing off his sharper than average incisors, "Fosfosfos!~ Some people much prefer the world as it is now!" He looked at the boy beneath his boot, struggling like an ant, and then over at Zeff's unmoving body, "It wasn't supposed to come to this, Sanji. Zeff could've lived if he had given you up when I asked him. Stupid old man refused of course-"_

_"Don't talk about him like that! I'm gonna kick the crap out of your ass!" Sanji growled, blue eyes blinded with tears as he pushed against the shoe that held him down. Hogback smiled,_

_"Fosfosfos!" He pressed harder with his foot, laughing when the little blonde screamed in pain. He leaned forward, as close to Sanji's head as he could given his formidable size, "Thank you for all the research Sanji, you've been most helpful."_

* * *

Sanji rocketed out of his thoughts as something cold and wet pressed against the side of his neck. He flailed slightly, losing his balance and fell backwards out of his curled up position and on to his back. He breathed heavily, heart racing in fear and his eyes screwed shut, scared that if he opened them the terrifying face of Doctor Hogback would be the one to greet him. That Zoro and Chopper were all a lie, a cruel trick played by his own mind to cope and that when he opened his eyes he'd still be in that cell, collar pressed tight to his neck and his body sore from beatings. He stayed still, refusing to move until an odd sound met his ears. It was deep and quick and a gentle force, like a gush of wind, blew up his fringe and ruffled his hair. It graced along his nose and tickled his eyelashes.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Chopper stared down at him, his blue nose twitching every so often as he snuffled, but he stopped when he noticed Sanji looking back. The man and the deer stared at each other for a while and with each passing second Sanji's heart fell back into a more natural beat and his breathing became more stable though his body was still tense from undesired memories and surprise. Blue eyes met brown and seemed to get lost. Chopper had a small crease in his brow, almost like a frown but his eyes weren't angered they were soft and gentle.

Understanding.

Sanji found himself raising his hand and Chopper flinched. Immediately, the blonde's trance seemed to break and he remembered. He punched Zoro... and then he'd turned on Chopper.

Looking at the deer's stricken face, Sanji couldn't help but feel foolish. There was no real need to act the way he had. Zoro had only asked a question after all and Chopper hadn't even done anything but still he was on the receiving end of the man's anger. Sanji's stomach tightened painfully and for once it wasn't anything to do with hunger. Guilt stabbed him in the gut and he bit the inside of his mouth hesitantly. God, he was such a fucked up person.

For once in a decade someone actually acted like they cared about him and what had he done? He'd fucking attacked them that's what he'd done.

He left his hand where it was, outstretched above him, and turned his gaze to the side, "I'm sorry," he uttered.

Something soft and warm pushed into his palm and Sanji looked up to see Chopper rubbing his cheek into his hand with a pleased look in his brown eyes. The large animal then proceeded to move away, but not before running his tongue up the left side of his face causing the blonde's fringe to be plastered up at an awkward angle. Sanji's lips twitched in a small smile. It seemed everything was forgiven between him and Chopper at least.

He lay there, looking up at the green tinted sky when Zoro's deep voice called out.

"Oi Chopper, Sanji! Come on, we're leaving."

Sanji pushed himself up, wincing at the pain that shot through his left arm, and looked at the other man, stunned. Zoro still wanted him to go? He wasn't going to leave him, even after he'd attacked him?

Zoro was waving him over, his green eye and hair striking against the background of desert and rocky outcrops. He was smiling despite the cut on his lip and the dried trail of blood that ran down his chin and into the dip of his collar bone. Sanji looked at the lines that were scattered on the tanned neck, the marks darker than his natural skin tone making it easy for Sanji to see them, even from as far away as he was. The blonde narrowed his eyes at them- those scars were suspiciously like his own set from where the collar used to claw at his throat. Maybe there was more to this Zoro character than he'd previously thought. Suddenly, Sanji found himself wanting to know more about the man who'd helped him.

"Yo, you coming or not?"

Sanji shook his head clear of thoughts and questions, promising himself silently that he'd ask them later. He got up shakily, straightening his legs to relieve the stiffness that had settled in his joints and made his way over, the soles of his feet scuffing the harsh ground but he didn't mind- Sanji had walked on much worse surfaces, much, much worse.

As he neared, Zoro was finishing reattaching the strap of the saddle on Chopper's underbelly. After he was done, he stood up straight and scratched his neck, yawning, and flashed Sanji those all-too-familiar scars again. Being closer the blonde could see how deep they were, ragged and torn at the edges roughly. It was as if whatever had been around his neck had been ripped off in a brutal fashion and, if they were from a slave collar like Sanji suspected, it must've been an agonising experience.

Zoro frowned, puzzled, as he wondered what Sanji was staring at so intently, "What?" He asked, the question coming out a bit ruder than he'd meant.

The blonde quickly looked up into his face, away from his neck, "Nothing," He said, but his voice was unsure.

Zoro shrugged and smiled once more as he passed Chopper's reins over and Sanji clambered on with a bit more ease than the first time he'd tried earlier that day. The green haired man waited patiently for Sanji to get settled before hooking his fingers into Chopper's bridle and led the way. It wasn't long before Zoro started talking again, "Hey, if we can't find somewhere to shelter tonight, we might have to set up camp outside instead. Is that alright? Don't worry about it, Chopper's an excellent lookout, eh Chopper?"

Chopper snorted and held his head up higher in a way of showing his pride as being a great guard. Sanji smiled and finally plucked up the courage to speak himself, "Zoro?"

They didn't stop walking on, but the green haired man looked over his shoulder with a cheery look on his face, "Yeah?"

Sanji saw the gash in the other's bottom lip and another pang of guilt stabbed him in the gut with a murderous intent. He winced, "I'm sorry- about earlier. I shouldn't have hit you; you didn't deserve it."

Zoro huffed, "Don't worry about it."

Instantly the pain in Sanji's stomach dissolved into thin air. Zoro forgave him. He was forgiven completely.

Zoro's mismatched eyes met Sanji's and the blonde saw nothing but happiness in them, "Besides, I did deserve it a little bit- it was a sensitive subject and I shouldn't have asked so I'm sorry too. Anyway, I really want to be your friend Sanji and we can't do that if we stay mad at each other."

Sanji blinked, "Friends?" He croaked. Zoro wanted to be friends? A wave of emotion hit him like a tonne of bricks.

He'd never had a friend before.

All those years being picked on and getting into scraps with the other kids, being isolated because he was different and then being locked up for ten years... well, Sanji had never got a chance to make friends. There was Number 16 back at the slave trading building but the only times they got to meet was whenever he was patching Sanji up again, which was actually quite often. But 16 wasn't here anymore, 16 didn't escape and couldn't escape- they kept him confined to his room. Sanji was sure 16 would never get to leave there.

"Yeah, friends," Zoro confirmed before dropping his voice, "I mean... we don't have to be friends, not if you don't want to be that is..."

Sanji managed to compose himself before replying, "Yeah, sure. I'd like that."

At that response, Zoro grinned widly and Sanji was reminded of a child but he found himself smiling back.

And it was his first genuine smile in ten years.

* * *

Bellamy licked his lips with a long tongue, coating them with a layer of saliva until they shone. His wild blonde hair was drawn back from his face, putting the dark scar that ran diagonally above his right brow on display and his two bright amber eyes gleamed wickedly.

Next to him, the large dog pulled against its chain with a growl and trails of saliva dribbled out of the corners of its mouth. It was a beast of a dog, mutated beyond belief and it more or less resembled a bear now. Its pitch black eyes locked onto the moving trio beneath them and snarled deeply, catching onto the scent. Bellamy pulled roughly on the chain with a smirk and licked his lips again, chuckling to himself. The dog made a rumbling noise in its huge chest, nothing but a mass of black and brown fur and its hackles stood on end.

Bellamy grabbed the animal by its thick collar and pulled it forcefully towards him. He stroked it with one hand, uncaring of the way the animal snarled and snapped its jaws at him threateningly. He cackled.

"Shush, shush," He chided, tickling behind the unruly beast's ear, "Be patient. Just a bit longer."

Bellamy smirked as he leaned over, looking down from the ledge he was crouched on. If his plans were correct, and they always were, in about ten minutes the trio would be arriving at a basin- a large plain of wasteland surrounded by mountainous crops of rocks. There'd be no where to hide, no where to run. They'd all be his. He chuckled quietly and flicked out his tongue, slobbering across his bottom lip in anticipation. He hoped they'd put up a good fight- it had been a long time since anyone had fought back against him.

The dog pulled frantically against the chain that held it, practically foaming at the mouth in excitement. Bellamy got to his feet, the buckles of his boots and jacket clanging as they struck one another. He unravelled the chain around his hand slightly, much to the dog's delight. The blonde man smiled crazily, "Follow," He commanded and grabbed the animal's collar, using it to swing up onto its back. The dog stood an impressive five feet high and carrying the fully grown man was no problem for it whatsoever and it bolted, taking straight off down the beaten pathway with the agility one would assume of a cat.

Bellamy laughed all the way, the anticipation of a fight thrumming through his veins.

* * *

**AN: I really liked writing this version of Bellamy :L**


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: A series of drabbles in a post-apocolyptic AU in which a guy and his reindeer end up getting more than they bargained for when they pick up a certain blonde.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination (in later chapters).**

**AN: Another chapter done and dusted! :D It felt like a genuine effort to write this but that was probably because of all the homework I had to fit writing it around and also I was sick so that delayed this chapter by a few days. But may I just say... O MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW POPULAR THIS STORY IS! O.O I'm gonna be honest here, but if you guys hadn't of actually reviewed then this story wouldn't have been a story. This originally was just going to be some drabbles I wrote whilst I was bored but it sort of developed and mutated and became this- a full on story with an actual plot and everything! : ) I actually have the whole storyline wrote down in my notepad so it's just a matter of writing it all now ^-^ so thank you all of you for inspiring me!**

**Also, Kumiko Hasegawa- I'm sorry for making you obsessed with Chopper :L**

**Enjoy!**

**Oh also, there is only the build up to the fight here because it had to be this way for the next chapter, trust me on this guys. Also, the next chapter will be twice as long. Think, a two chapters in one sort of thing :D**

* * *

The trio pulled to a halt as they reached an entrance that seemed to have been blasted through the rock. Chopper snorted and scuffed the ground with his hooves, Sanji steadying him with a small, tentative tug of the reins. The blonde looked down at Zoro who was leaning all his weight on his right leg, hip jutting out and his wrist resting on the handles of the three swords that were strapped to his side. He was shielding his eyes with his left hand from the afternoon sun as he took in the sight before them.

It was a huge wasteland plain stretching out to the horizon with enormous cliffs, mountains even, surrounding it in a perfect ring before leaving a gap the opposite side. There appeared to be what Sanji assumed was a worn path running from the entrance to the exit and Zoro seemed to notice it too as he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and grinned to no one in particular, "We'll head on further in and make camp alongside this road. Chopper, you're on first watch tonight," He said, nodding at his own orders. Beneath him, Sanji watched the large animal snort then seemingly nod its large head. Zoro smiled, "Good boy. Sanji," He turned to the blonde, "I'll take the next watch."

Sanji hummed his affirmation and fiddled with the reins, twisting the worn leather around his hands. He waited for his instructions- to be told he had to take watch as well- but they never came. Instead, Zoro hooked the fingers of his left hand through Chopper's bridle and led them on.

They walked in silence for a good while, the only sound being the rhythmic clop of Chopper's hooves, and Sanji fidgeted in the saddle. He was sure the peace was supposed to be what they called 'comfortable' but to Sanji it felt awkward, like it needed to be filled with words. He picked the first thing that came to mind, but it seemed the green haired man had beaten him to the chase.

"How old are you, Sanji?"

Surprised by the abrupt question, Sanji blurted the only response he had, "Wha-?"

Zoro chuckled and shook his head, "I just thought that, you know- if we're gonna be friends- that we should get to know each other..." He paused and the smirk on his face shifted quickly into a sudden worried look, "That's what friends do, right?"

His two very odd eyes looked up at Sanji, asking for approval and the blonde shifted awkwardly, "I think so," he replied, "But..." He let out a dry laugh, "I never had many friends." The memories of his childhood; All Blue and the slave center and the fights he started both there and in his home city; flickered in his mind's eye and he looked down at the hairs on Chopper's neck. He didn't know what kind of response he was expecting from Zoro, but he wasn't happy that the man's first reaction was to laugh.

It wasn't a loud bark, or an embarrassing taunt of a laugh though and when Sanji listened he heard the sealed note of sadness in it. He looked across, blue eyes emerging from their hiding place behind his fringe at the other who walked beside him. Zoro was smiling up at him but Sanji could tell instantly that it was forced. They all smiled like that back at the center- every last slave. Trying to put up a brave wall around the painful world they lived in. 16 used to smile like that all of the time and Sanji winced, thinking back to that natural smile he'd given Zoro when the man had proposed a friendship between them. 16 and the other slaves would never get to smile like that and, in a way, it made Sanji feel guilty that he'd been so carefree with his emotions- taking them for granted when people he knew were suffering without them.

Zoro blinked calmly, "That makes three of us," He said.

Sanji frowned, "Three of us?"

Zoro turned his face away and moved closer into Chopper to fuss the reindeer's ear. Chopper whined gratefully and stopped walking, too distracted in trying to lick the man who was giving him attention.

"Yeah," Zoro said as he pushed Chopper's curious tongue away from his nose, "Chopper wasn't too good when I met him... Poor guy," His hand was rubbing at the base of the deer's antler as the large animal settled for drooling up the man's neck. Sanji tried not to watch the way Chopper's tongue ran in to the scars on the tanned flesh. This close Sanji could see how they were like little ditches, grooving into the skin of his neck and he wondered just how bad the orginal injuries were. He stomped the burning desire to ask about them and decided it would be something to ask later when there was a level of trust established- it seemed a sensitive subject and Sanji didn't want to be punched for the same reason he'd punched Zoro.

"But," Zoro continued, "He's alright now. We're all alright now."

Sanji wanted to protest about how no, he was not alright, but the way Zoro was smiling as he fussed the reindeer had him nodding and smiling too.

"So, how old are you?" Zoro asked again and this time Sanji managed to answer sufficiently.

"Just turned twenty last month. What about you?"

Zoro pushed away the overly affectionate reindeer and nodded, "I'm nineteen. But I'll be twenty soon."

"So I'm older, huh?"

"Yup," The other replied, taking Chopper's bridle back into his hand, "Hey, Sanji?"

"Yeah?"

"Where-?"

The green haired man's words were cut and he paused, looking up at Sanji with a dumbfounded expression on his face. His mouth opened then closed but no sound came out.

Sanji narrowed his eyes, "Zoro, what's wron-"

Zoro's eyes rolled back and his fingers fell limp, slipping from their hold on Chopper, and he collapsed backwards, hitting the ground harshly. Sanji panicked,

"Zoro!"

* * *

Sand Dragons are relatively harmless- being one of the more placid forms of Wasteland wildlife- despite their looks. They are the fastest reptile of the land and are armed with razor claws and two fangs that overhang their bottom lips, but they are purely for defense and have never been known to attack humans unprovoked which is why, in many of the remaining clans of civilization, they make such good working animals or pets.

Currently a man was stood on one of said creatures, perfectly upright and balanced on the flat planes of the large lizard's back. Attached to his waist was a harness that was linked to the strap around the Sand Dragon's neck by a length of hardened leather so that if he toppled he'd never hit the ground. He was clad in nothing but dark buckled boots and black slack shorts that were a little faded and well weathered. Attached to his thigh was a hunting blade, his long back and left arm were branded with a symbolic tattoo and his eyes were shaded by the low brim of an orange hat that complimented the red beads and leather talisman around his neck. He whooped noisily as the Dragon bolted again, all muscle, speed and glittering purple scales. He leaned to the right, placing all his weight onto the leg and the reptile veered in a neat arc to the right to begin running circles around the boy who was calling out to him.

"Aaaaace! Ace, when's it my turn? AAAAAAACE!"

Pulling the Sand Dragon to a halt by leaning back on his heels, Ace sighed, "Stop whining, you're putting me off!"

"But Ace, you promised!" The younger boy was uncannily like the elder man minus the freckles and the fact the child had a scar under his left eye, "Please Ace, pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase!"

Ace sighed again, irritated, and began unbuckling the harness much to the younger's delight. He leapt down off the Sand Dragon and landed neatly on the ground, "Fine, but if you break your arms or something stupid don't come crying to me. I did warn you, Luffy."

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Luffy crowed and bounded forward with more enthusiasm and energy than a normal person would. Ace couldn't help but smile at his brother as he flung himself on the animal and strapped in. Looking up every now and then to keep an eye on him, Ace sat himself down on the large rock that stood proudly from the coarse dry ground at his feet. Behind him, the banging and dull clanks of metal rang out from the house as Franky worked on yet another one of his projects.

The three of them, Ace Luffy and Franky lived on the outer edge of Alabasta city. There were few occupied houses in the suburbs, most people not wanting to brave the unpredictability of living at the starting point of the Wasteland, but Ace liked it here and Franky preferred being somewhere where his metalwork wouldn't disturb the neighbours and Luffy was as carefree as always and had never complained so Ace had never felt the need to move. He crossed his legs on the rock and tilted the brim of his hat down. He checked on Luffy one more time to make sure his little brother hadn't killed himself yet and closed his eyes, deciding it was the perfect opportunity for a quick nap. He felt the lulling sense of lethargy beckoning him into sleep and he began to snore lightly, the deepness of his sleep and the volume of Franky's banging making him blissfully unaware of Luffy's cry of alarm as the Sand Dragon took a mind of its own and bolted into the Wasteland with the young teen still trapped in its harness.

* * *

"Zoro, Zoro! Wake up!"

Sanji slapped at the other man's face, hitting his cheeks lightly enough not to hurt him but firmly enough that it should have woken him up. When Zoro didn't stirr, Sanji took up his shoulders and gave him a rough shake, "Zoro!"

Chopper was pacing frantically, pawing at the dust with a hoof and tossing his head making whiny, pained noises in the back of his throat. Sanji was hunkered down at Zoro's side having jumped off Chopper's back with, in his weakened state, as much grace as a drunken camel. His ankle twinged slightly after landing awkwardly but it was just a weak sprain and he could care less about that right now. He shook Zoro again but to no avail; his head heavy and it rolled on his shoulders.

Sanji gave up on trying to rouse Zoro and slipped his fingers under the other's chin to feel around for a pulse. He pressed firmly in to the skin as he searched when Zoro hissed unpleasantly and his eyelids half opened to reveal glassy eyes. The blonde looked down and lifted his hand slightly and swallowed thickly at the sluggish trail of blood oozing in a thin line from a puncture mark just above the topmost scar in Zoro's collection. Sanji pressed it again tentatively and Zoro whined, his eyes fully opening. Sanji briefly wiped the blood on his hand off on his ragged jeans,

"Zoro? Oi, wake up,"

The green haired man stared at him, a dazed and confused expression on his face. Sanji waved in front of his face and bit his lip when Zoro's eyes didn't respond to the movement, "Zoro?"

"It's alright Sanji, he's just stunned."

The blonde froze as someone moved behind him. The familiar clank of chain and buckles rattled every so often and made the ex-slave's heart leap. His whole body tensed. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Chopper's distressed whines and short, deep growls.

"Twenty Eight, you will look at me when I'm talking to you."

Sanji tried not to tremble. Every bone in his body was screaming at him to not turn around, that he didn't have to respond to that number anymore. But, whether from sheer force of habit or something else he didn't know, Sanji turned his head to look over his shoulder and what he saw made his mouth run dry.

Chopper was backed up to the side, a gash that suspiciously looked like a bite mark on his shoulder and a wild, terrified look in his eyes as he tried to put distance between himself and the animal that prowled ever closer at him. Sanji recognised the beast instantly- the last time he'd seen it was when he'd almost been killed by it had his Master not stepped in. Slowly Sanji's hand crept down to Zoro's right hip, his movements masked by the fact his back was facing the enemy. His fingers slunk around the handle of a sword and his blue eyes narrowed,

"Bellamy..."

Bellamy cackled, amber eyes flashing and a sudden movement had Sanji bringing up Zoro's sword, the large blade heavy and unfamiliar in his hand, to fend off the attack but the weapon cut through thin air as the Slavemaster's movements neatly dodged it. Sanji's eyes widened as a length of chain made for his neck in a snake-like movement...

... A slave collar attached to the end of it.

'Shit.'

* * *

Whatever it was that had hit him, was making Zoro start to see some funny stuff. He watched as some big bear thing danced with Chopper out of the corner of his vision. It felt like a haze; one minute everything was moving stiffly and rigidly and the next it sort of flowed into a blur of images that made no sense. He could feel his body still, the rough ground beneath his fingers and the stifling hot air on his face, but he couldn't control it. It didn't seem to move, no matter how much he wanted it to.

At some point, he was sure, he'd seen Sanji. All blonde hair and big blue eyes that were wavy through his eyesight like a mirage. The guy was trying to tell him something. He heard his name a few times but the other words? No. They made no sense.

'Sanji?' He tried to ask but his mouth wasn't having any of it, refusing to move. Then Sanji vanished again and he felt a slight tugging sensation at his hip. He heard Sanji say something and he had to really force himself to listen to catch it. A name. 'Bellamy'.

'Bellamy?'

Zoro had never heard that before but it didn't sound like a good thing, not from the way Sanji had said it. Who was it? Zoro wanted to see. He tried to move but his body wouldn't obey. There was a sudden, frightened bray and Zoro's heart tightened.

Chopper.

What was happening? What the Hell was happening?!

A clash of metal and a yell, a hoarse and broken cry.

Sanji?!

Zoro growled inwardly- he had to move dammit! Sanji, Chopper... they needed him! Another scream cut through the strange atmosphere around Zoro and was strong enough to make him flinch bodily. He focused all his energy on willing his body to obey him. His heart was racing so loud and fast he could hear it in his ears. Slowly, painfully slowly, Zoro's fingers began to twitch.

Sanji's cries were reaching above and almost beyond hysterical. It was awful and it felt like they were grating at Zoro's very soul. He forced them out of his head, more intent on getting his limbs to move.

'Get up!' He snarled at himself, 'Get up, get up, get up!'

Sanji's last scream cut it, cutting through him and giving him that short burst of anger he need to get up. He staggered to his feet, the world swirling dangerously around him and he had to close his eyes against the sudden rush before opening them again. He felt heavy and sluggish but it didn't stop him from reaching to his swords and drawing them, surprised to find there were only two out of the three there. He shook his head, trying to clear some of his clouded mind.

"Piece of shit!" A crude bark followed by an inhuman wail and a laugh. Zoro turned slowly, almost losing his balance, as he followed the sounds. He had to pause a second and let his eyes register the awful sight before him.

A man clad in tanned leather and metal guards had his back to him, his interest taken by something else. He was laughing, saying something that Zoro's muddled mind couldn't understand. But Zoro didn't care about his words as his eyes took in what said man was doing.

Blonde locks were grabbed tightly in his free hand, holding his victim up by the hair whilst the other held a gnarled looking chain. He was jostling his arms roughly and whatever it was he was doing with that chain it seemed to be working, if the screams and the two bare feet kicking at the ground were anything to go by.

"What I'm doing is nothing compared to what Joker-san will do... So scream for me, Sanji. Scream..." The leather-clad man ordered and Zoro's chest instantly froze up.

Sanji?!

The man before him turned sharply and it took Zoro a moment to realise he hadn't just thought that but yelled it as well out loud. The other man looked angry for a moment before his face became twisted with sick glee, "What d'you think, hm?" He asked before dragging the man behind him out.

Zoro almost dropped his two katana.

Sanji's face was streaked with ashamed tears, his cheeks red from screaming and a small cut under his right eye. He was gasping for air, his body twisted in obvious pain and his fingers clutching around his neck. Zoro watched wordlessly as lines of red crept down the pale flesh of his chest. Sanji looked at him with broken, watery eyes that said more than the blonde ever could as the two pale hands fell away from his neck to reveal what it was attached to the ragged chain.

A collar.

Zoro felt a surge of power course through him and in an instant, all that weird dull headedness had gone. He raised his two swords in front of him,

"Nitoryu."


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Summary: Travelling alone since his early teens with no one but Chopper, a mutated reindeer, for company Zoro is more than surprised when he comes across a slave in the middle of the Wasteland and it doesn't take long for him to realise something isn't right. Hunted down by Slave Catchers and Masters alike, Zoro and Chopper are plunged into a side of their world they never wanted to go down as the blonde slave's past is seemingly out to get them all.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, foul language, slavery and discrimination.**

**AN: Wa-hey! Look! I made a new summary! :) I think it sounds a lot better now and it's pretty clear this is no longer a drabble collection ^-^ thanks for all your lovely reviews, comments and suggestions. I love reading them and it's great to know there are so many people enjoying this : ) If you have any suggestions or questions in general that you'd like to ask about any of the characters or the AU itself, then please, by all means, feel free to ask! :D**

**As we all know, Bellamy's Devil Fruit power is the Spring-Spring Fruit. But, as Devil Fruits don't exist in my AU there will be adaptions and explanations for his power. This will apply to Ace and Luffy too. I worked around Bellamy's power by giving him machinery that you will read about during his and Zoro's fight :) So throughout this fic you will see a lot of play and my take on DF powers just so you are aware ^-^**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Bellamy watched as the green haired man took an agressive stance in front of him, a hardened look flicked on like a light behind Zoro's eyes, and smiled with a twisted smirk. He chuckled, "Heh, heh-heh..." And, much the same way a child would toss a broken toy aside, he let go of Sanji's hair and chain, the blonde falling to the ground and curling up in on himself, gasping and clawing at the contraption that clung to his neck. Something in Zoro's chest tightened as Bellamy casually stepped over the writhing blonde, like he wasn't there at all.

As if Sanji were nothing.

Zoro allowed Bellamy to take but two steps closer before he turned one arm out, Kitetsu raised before him in warning. He could feel the blade singing, pining for blood- something Zoro never usually considered giving it, but right now he would let Kitetsu take all the other man's lifeblood happily. Sanji twisted, trying to pull away from the ring around his throat.

Bellamy licked his lips, tongue flicking across them briefly and his amber eyes sparking, "Now this is promising. Blondie let me down," He kicked out his heel behind him, nudging Sanji in the shoulders and making him hiss, "Why can't you have this much fight in you, Sanji? I thought you were Joker's problem child, neh? What happened?"

Zoro frowned, "Joker..." That was twice he'd heard that name now.

"Heh... It's Zoro, right?" Bellamy asked, his voice rough and gravelly. His arm was raised, a finger pointing at the green haired man. Zoro sized him up, eyes flitting over the tanned and muscled skin, the metal guards that covered the whole of his wrist on each arm, before meeting back up to crazed orange eyes. From what Zoro could see, Bellamy was not armed. There was the chain but that lay on the ground forgotten as it worked its sick torture on Sanji. There was the dog... bear... whatever it was too but Chopper seemed to be handling that, the large reindeer rutting his antlers at the other animal. But Zoro didn't lower his sword. His mind jumped back to when Sanji tried to shoot him. If Zoro had failed to notice a gun then he wasn't letting his guard down- who knew what this guy had concealed somewhere.

Bellamy sized Zoro up too, "I'm Bellamy. Heh- look Zoro, I consider myself a bit of a fair guy-"

Zoro snapped, venom lacing his tone, "You call this fair?" He growled.

Bellamy blinked before laughing, a smile brightening his face, "Oh, I get it- you want your payment, right?"

Zoro was taken aback, "Payment?"

"Nah, it's alright I'm sure the boss'll understand- you did find his favourite afterall. I'm sure he'll give you something for your troubles," He said as he was bending down, fingers snatching up the chain.

Zoro stared numbly as he tried to gather up the emotional mess inside of him. He was scared, scared of what this man had done to Sanji, but anger seemed to be the strongest. He'd just been offered a reward for Sanji. Sanji, a living, breathing, human being and Zoro had been offered payment for him. It was as if Bellamy was talking about cattle the way he spoke so nonchalantly. It was as if Sanji didn't matter.

Right now a lowly animal had more status than Sanji.

Zoro's fists tightened around the handles of his swords until his knuckles ached against the pressure. Bellamy seemed not to notice as the swordsman shook slightly in rage, being far too preoccupied in forcing the blonde to his feet.

Sanji was reluctant, his back arching in pain and his fingers trying ever so desperately to shift the collar that bit at him. Bellamy yanked the chain roughly, "Piece of shit."

Zoro watched the disturbing display with cold eyes, the pent up anger getting bigger and bigger until it was unbearable to contain. It finally snapped when Bellamy kicked the blonde heavily in the side and Sanji coughed roughly and let out a choked cry,

"Stop..."

Bellamy paid him no mind and made a whistling sound and, out of the corner of his eye, Zoro saw the large dog-like creature abandon its harassment of Chopper and slink its way over.

Before it could reach its master, faster than Bellamy could imagine and more sudden than even Zoro himself could comprehend, Kitetsu twisted in his hand and gouged the animal in the throat. Zoro could almost feel the sword hum happily as the beast jerked violently once and slid off the end of the blade stone cold dead.

There was a long silence and even Sanji was quiet, trying to twist his head to cop a look at what the green haired man had done.

Bellamy's orange eyes were hot as he stared at the body on the ground. Zoro saw the anger raging behind them before it vanished completely and the man grinned in amusement though it was the twisted kind, "You little fuck," He said, voice firm and unwavering and when he looked up Zoro met him with a glare equally as fierce, "The fuck is this?" Bellamy continued, "Don't tell me you're fucking helping him..."

Zoro said nothing for fear that if he did his voice would break. An uncontrollable rage and desire to help Sanji broiled deep in his core and he was worried that if he did not release it, it would destroy him from the inside out. Remaining silent, he brought Kitetsu back into himself to hold his firm and aggressive pose and when he did speak he put all his fury into that one word, "Nitoryu."

Bellamy snarled, an animalistic hiss tearing from the back of his throat as he threw Sanji to the side and turned to face his newfound opponant. Zoro attacked instantly, viciously and without mercy. It was dirty fighting, he knew, and if Koshiro was still around to see it his swords would have been confiscated for weeks for bringing shame upon them but all those years out here alone Zoro had learnt one thing: kill or be killed.

With a speed and precision that surprised the amber eyed man, Zoro slashed down with both blades and Bellamy had to side step quickly to avoid decapitation. Zoro was fast to recover and pivoted to see Bellamy use the back of his hand to wipe at the angry red line that began to weep blood on his cheekbone.

"So they're not just for show, neh?" The bounty hunter chuckled darkly and his opposite hands moved to opposite wrists where the metal guards were clasped to press the undersides of them. A soft thrumming and whirring filled the air. Chopper whined nervously and tried to limp over but Zoro signalled him to stop with his hand- he didn't want his other friend injured too.

He didn't know what to expect, but a sudden force that struck him in the chest wasn't one of them. Zoro was thrown backwards and slid along the dusty ground, sharp rocks clawing at his shoulder blades and the wind knocked out of his lungs. He just managed to cling on to Wado and Kitetsu but lay there in shock as he tried to register what just happened. Barely a second passed and Bellamy was looming over him, an ugly sneer written over his face.

"Shame I don't have a spare collar, you'd have made a good pet- could've had you in my own personal collection..." He sighed and Zoro growled, "But I guess beating you to death wouldn't be so bad."

He lunged again, the contraption on his wrists whirring fiercely and Zoro swung up an arm, his fist, still hanging onto Wado, striking the bounty hunter straight in the mouth so hard that Bellamy's teeth gashed his knuckles. Bellamy was thrown off and to the side and Zoro used the momentum of the punch to turn the tables and flipped himself over so he was the one dominating the fight. He had Bellamy pinned, Kitetsu shoved threateningly under his throat and Wado's edge pressed firmly against his stomach ready and willing to make the kill.

Bellamy looked up at Zoro, nothing but displaced amusement written in his lopsided grin. Despite two blades prepared to puncture his skin he laughed and Zoro felt the other man's hands move to his hips, palms pressed flat just above his navel, "Gonna hurt like a bitch," Bellamy snickered.

Zoro had no idea what that meant until agony tore through his stomach. He felt like he had been punched excessively hard, like the time Chopper charged him with his antlers and he felt bile instantly leap up his throat in a desperate bid to escape. Catapulted back, he landed on his side. Wado slipped out of his loose grasp and clattered to the ground, the impact of whatever Bellamy had done to him had jarred his arm rendering it useless. He hacked and coughed, swallowing lungfuls of air desperately and tried not to look at the spatters of red that sprayed out of his mouth. He wanted to curl in on himself and the pain was so bad he thought he would surely die but sudden movement from Bellamy had him gripping Kitetsu with a newfound determination.

He couldn't lose.

He wouldn't lose. Because if he did this guy would be left with Sanji and Zoro didn't want to know what Bellamy would do to his new friend.

A sharp bray told Zoro that, even despite his wishes to help also, Chopper was staying put but it was a fearful and panicked noise. He thought he heard Sanji as well but the reindeer's calls seemed to drown them out. Zoro screwed his eyes shut tightly and coughed up another splatter, the taste of copper leaving a sharp tang on his tongue. When he opened them again he watched as Bellamy jumped from his crouch into almost a handstand of sorts before the machinery on his wrists launched him up and he flipped neatly over in the air, one leg raised and directed at Zoro.

Zoro had anticipated the move and braced himself accordingly. When Bellamy's boot was within a close enough range he hooked his one working arm, sword still in hand, around his leg to take the impact through shoulders first. The amber eyed man smirked though as he arched his back into a backwards curve- a graceful move for someone so toned- and used the leg the green haired man had no grip around to hit the ground and spring up again to free the opposite limb and backflipped away. Despite his looks and the bulk of muscle on him, Bellamy's moves were graceful yet deadly and precise.

Zoro hauled himself to his feet. His stomach was burning, all he could taste was blood and his left arm hung limply at his side. Kitetsu was held desperately in a knuckle whitening grasp as he panted, each breath painful to take in. Behind him he was sure he heard Sanji's voice this time but what he was saying he didn't know, Zoro was too focused on tracking Bellamy's movements.

The bounty hunter sprung one last time from his hands and landed ever so softly on his feet, his face one of cockiness and arrogance, "I must say you have more fight in you than I thought, I underestimated you."

Zoro grunted, flinching internally at the pain it caused him.

"Most men would be dead by now..." He continued, as Zoro stood before him with knees that seemed to try and buckle at every available opportunity. Bellamy smiled at the other's pitiful state- he'd take his time with this one, "Nifty, are they not?" He asked, showing the other the machinery that thrummed, purring against his wrists, "They displace the air into a strong force enabling me to leap at amazing heights and-" He chuckled here, "Beat the shit outta pathetic fucks like you."

Zoro grit his teeth and turned Kitetsu over in his hand.

"Did you really think you could help someone like that?" Bellamy asked, "Really? Truly? Did you believe you could?" He was gesturing at the blonde who was trying valiantly to get up, "There are two different kinds of people in this world, Zoro. Them," He threw a passive flick of the wrist at Sanji's shaking form, "And us," A point between himself and Zoro.

"We are the stronger people, Zoro. People like Sanji are not. They're born with nothing, they are nothing and they will always be nothing. They are the people we make slaves because at least that way they have some tiny shred of title in their pathetic lives."

Zoro shook angrily, "That's not true-"

"Isn't it?"

"Sanji's my friend."

Bellamy laughed but what was so funny remained unclear to Zoro, "Is he? Is he really? Is that what he told you?! Don't be so fuckin' stupid- he was waiting to kill you at the first opportunity."

"... That's not true."

"Isn't it? This little shit's killed before and he'd have no problem doing it again!"

Zoro's temper strained, "YOU'RE LYING!"

Sanji wouldn't kill anyone. Yes, he'd known the blonde for just over a day but a killer? That wasn't Sanji. He was certain. They were friends.

"You're fucking stupid if you trust him. This the Wasteland, Zoro. There ain't no nice people out here- everyone is out to stab you in the back."

"But-"

"You're too naive! You would've been better off keeping your mouth shut and accepting a reward for finding your 'friend'. Nobody and nothing is nice about this world and it's fucking stupid pretending it is or dreaming for it to become better- dreaming does nothing for anyone."

Midway through his speech, Zoro's right knee gave out randomly but he just managed to remain upright, converting his weight on to his left leg. Bellamy sighed, shook his head, "Look at you, you can barely stand. I'll just put you out of your misery..."

Zoro was struggling to stay up, panting and grunting with the exertion and Bellamy deemed him weak enough to step up and take him by the throat. Zoro's head was forced up as the other man's hand wrapped around his neck, long fingers slipping into the crevices of his scars. Bellamy's eyes widened, "You were one of them too?" A playful look crept onto his face, "Then all the more reason to finish you off."

Zoro gasped as the hold around his neck tightened, shutting off his windpipe and he tried to will his beaten body into responding. His fingers almost slipped from Kitetsu's hilt a few times as he gathered the moulded handle in his palm, "Don't worry," Bellamy purred, "I'll take real good care of Sanji..."

"You... won't..." Zoro choked. Blood was pooling in the back of his mouth, the grip on his neck was causing the corners of his eyesight to blacken and every part of his body screamed at him to give up, to just accept death but at the thought of Sanji being taken back there, where they burned his skin with numbers and scarred the rest of it with wounds, gave him an indescribable boost of power so strong that he cried out and thrust Kitetsu forward, ramming the blade deep into Bellamy's ribcage.

It happened so fast it took Bellamy a moment to register what had happened but when he had it was evident on his face. His orange eyes focused and misted over randomly as they looked dumbfoundedly into the one dark brown, one bright green, eyes before him. His mouth hung slightly open, sucking in gaspy little breaths that didn't seem to be reaching his lungs at all and the hold he had on Zoro's neck loosened considerably to the point where the green haired man pulled away from him and toppled backwards on his rear greedily drinking in air and taking Kitetsu with him.

Bellamy laughed once, a sharp brittle sound, and perhaps that was what finished him off. A spray of blood so thick it was almost black, gushed from his throat and out of his mouth staining his teeth, lips and chin. Zoro heard Chopper's startled yelp and a sharp intake of breath which he assumed was Sanji considering Bellamy was dying right before his eyes. The bounty hunter's face fell slack and the fire behind his eyes dimmed before finally going out and he slumped forwards, collapsing in a heap at Zoro's feet in a clatter of buckles and chains.

No one moved for a moment as a deathly silence fell and three pairs of eyes watched with caution should the man get up again. When Bellamy made no more movement Zoro finally caved in to his bodily sensations and fell flat out on his back, letting Kitetsu slip from his grasp and continue her joyous humming at blood alone.

His vision was swimming before him in a confusing, blurry haze and he turned his face to the side to spit out the nasty taste of blood that had collected there. He breathed heavily, pulse hammering and mind dampened by the high of adrenaline. He hadn't fought like that in a long time. The high buzz he had was making him lightheaded and he felt ready to pass out, wavering on and off on the borderline of consciousness.

Zoro opened his eyes again, which was funny because he didn't remember blacking out, to meet two pairs of worried eyes looking down at him. Chopper hummed softly at seeing him awake and pressed his blue nose to his cheek, the soft fur warm and tickling. It was when Sanji's face became clear that Zoro realized he couldn't have been out for long.

The blood was still fresh on the blonde's neck, leaking from underneath the steel banded collar to paint red lines down his chest. Zoro felt a soft, rhythmic pat-pat on his collarbone as Sanji's blood dripped onto him. His blue eyes were staring down in a maddening mixture of awe, anger, worry and pain but, most of all, he looked ready to collapse as well; his skin pale white and sickly. His pale lips were moving too though Zoro hadn't noticed at first, "Zoro? Oi, oi... oro?...hear me?"

Zoro stared at the wounded man and reindeer above him when his body finally decided to give out.

* * *

The first thing Zoro noticed when he came to was that he was in a room. In a house.

A softness he vaguely remembered but hadn't felt in a long time was pressed against his back and he was warm from head to toe which was working wonders for the aching mess that was his body. A tight sensation curled around the fingers of his left hand and the whole of his arm. The same feeling also seemed to press against his torso and right knee.

Curious, he tried lifting his head to see what it was exactly but was stopped by a sharp pain that rocketed down his back. He moaned in pain and shut his eyes against it, only openeing them again when he was sure the awful feeling had gone.

Two large and familiar blue eyes hidden behind dirty blonde strands of hair peered out at him and a gentle touch found its way to his shoulder, pressing gently, "Zoro."

Zoro wasn't sure if his voice was up for talking yet so he gave his best shot at smiling and, even though it hurt his face, he managed to do it, 'Sanji' he thought in relief, glad that the other man was safe. He allowed his eyes a brief wander around the room before coming back to the blonde. It was nothing special, the walls bare and the only furniture being the threadbare carpet, the old bed he was laying in and a chair Sanji had perched himself on. He had no recollection of how he had got there- the last thing he remembered was killing Bellamy and passing out, then nothing after that. He frowned at Sanji and the blonde nodded, "Don't worry, we're safe."

Zoro wanted to question the whereabouts of Chopper, but the exhaustion wore at his mind and made him drained and unable to do the simplist of acts. Thankfully though, Sanji seemed to be wanting to lead this conversation and Zoro felt no need to interfere, he wanted the blonde to trust him afterall. What he didn't expect was Sanji to lunge forward from out of his chair to brace his arms either side of Zoro's neck and bury his face into green, cropped and messy hair in as best a hug as he could've managed from that angle. The coarseness of bandages around the blonde's neck rubbed against his right ear but Zoro wasn't complaining.

Despite his body's protests, he managed to raise his right arm and press his palm against Sanji's shoulder. The blonde didn't pull away and, if anything, pushed his face deeper into Zoro's hair. Something warm settled down in the green haired man's stomach as an odd sense of completion took to him and Zoro then and there decided him and Sanji would be great friends.

"Zoro I can't... I can't thank you enough... Thank you... Thank you..." Sanji murmured half into his hair and Zoro smiled wide as he held a little tighter on to the blonde's shoulder.

'Don't thank me,' Zoro thought, 'It's what friends do.'

They held on to each other a little longer before Sanji pulled away and looked at Zoro with determination in his eyes,

"I'll tell you, Zoro. I'll tell you all about me."

* * *

**AN: I know I said a looooong chapter- even though this is long- but I just had to end it this way and also my teachers stockpiled me with essays to do ;-; sorry!**

**Also, IMPORTANT NOTE.**

**This fic will now be updated every Saturday unless I have a valid reason either to postpone an update or put one up early, also it makes my updates seemingly less random (:**

**See you next Saturday!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary: Travelling alone since his early teens with no one but Chopper, a mutated reindeer, for company Zoro is more than surprised when he comes across a slave in the middle of the Wasteland and it doesn't take long for him to realise something isn't right. Hunted down by Slave Catchers and Masters alike, Zoro and Chopper are plunged into a side of their world they never wanted to go down as the blonde slave's past is seemingly out to get them all.**

**AN: Another chapter! This one's more of a filler to give you some more background info on Luffy and Franky and how they found Sanji, Zoro and Chopper. Also, there should be a one-shot up next month for how Zoro met Chopper and about Zoro's childhood :3**

**Thank you again for all the lovely reviews- it was my first proper fight scene I'd written in a while and I'm glad so many of you liked it ^-^**

**Onward with the filler chapter!**

**Pairing: ZoSan/SanZo**

**Warning for this chapter: A scene that could be a little upsetting at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

Hanging upside down from the Sand Dragon's neck, Monkey D. Luffy had much time to think. He'd stopped screaming for Ace well over an hour ago and simply went along with the predicament he was currently in, a large grin on his face; he guessed this was pretty fun actually. So, upside down with the blood rushing to his head and a goofy smile, Luffy thought. At first it was just the usual- meat and wonders at what was for dinner- but it somehow slipped into deeper regions. Being Luffy, it was rare that moments like this actually occurred but when they did he was as perceptive as his big brother Ace. Wait no, that was a terrible comparison. Well, he was as perceptive as a very perceptive person on a very perceptive day. Yes, that was an excellent comparison.

And so Luffy had a perceptive moment.

He thought about the fighting he'd both seen and heard in the city centre back home. He wasn't sure what it was over but, from what he'd witnessed and overheard from discussions between Ace and Franky when he was supposed to be asleep was that it seemed to include the two founders of their city; Vivi and her father. Vivi was a princess of sorts though she wasn't royal at all and neither were her family. They had been dubbed with such titles so that it gave the remaining survivors some clarity that there was law and order in Alabasta. It worked for a little while, nobody complained or committed crimes save the odd few pickpockets but trouble soon began to stir up.

And it all began with a man named Crocodile.

That was all Luffy really knew about the matter, Ace and Franky constantly making excuses not to tell him about it when he asked, so he was pretty much unable to make his opinion on it. All the raven haired boy knew was for a long time now it hadn't rained, yet in the city there was rainfall everyday. Even he'd noticed something wasn't quite right.

Maybe, when he got back home, he'd start his own investigations into the mystery rainfall and Crocodile. He smirked, yosh, that's exactly what he would do. But first he'd got to stop this lizard.

"Oi!" He yelled, raising his voice over the air that rushed by, "Stop running the wrong way!"

The Sand Dragon, of course, ignored him.

Luffy sighed miserably, it would be much easier to stop the creature if he had the gadgets Franky made for him. Much much easier. But, alas, he'd left them on the porch of their house so there he would have to stay; upside down and stuck in a harness.

He watched the scenery blur past with dizzying, almost sickening, speed- all the browns and the murky grey of the sky blending as one in a haphazardly unstable mix of colour. He closed his eyes against it and soon began to fall asleep; he was sure the Dragon would wear itself out at some point and he just had to wait it out. He was surprised though when he felt, just before he was about to doze off, the abrupt jerk of the large lizard pulling to a halt and his eyes snapped open,

"Huh?"

He tried looking around but the Dragon's head was blocking his view so he moved his hands to the strap around his waist, fingers scrabbling at the clasp. Now that the animal was no longer moving at a speed fast enough to kill him had he fell off, Luffy unlocked the harness and crumpled on the floor, wriggling and squirming to disentangle himself from the hanging and now limp straps. He gathered himself onto his feet and rubbed the sore spot where he'd landed on his head, the pain not really registering at all. He brushed at his forehead with that same hand, swiping away troublesome black strands to clear his vision a little better and when he had pushed them aside he took in his surroundings.

It was a large basin, sheltered from any wind by two impenetrable walls of sheer rock that stretched up and up and up, seemingly, forever. The ground that he stood on now was a vast plain, flat and dry with rigid cracks that split through the ground in random patterns and, though it took some serious thought, Luffy recalled this place as being Lake Merry. A few vague slips of memory fell like dappled sunlight on his mind, letting him see bits and pieces but not the whole picture. Scenes of Ace and him fishing, both of them tussling in play fights with Sabo and their father helping them build their treehouse fort in the tallest tree. Luffy looked over the curve of the Dragon's back to where he remembered it had once stood before the bombs had taken it: the treehouse, the forest, the lake, everything.

Including Sabo.

If he had been left a little longer to mull over it all, Luffy surely would have become tearful at the pain of all that loss but he was distracted by the sounds of grunting and shuffling and sharp little whines. At first Luffy looked at the Sand Dragon, expecting it to be the source, but when he saw the large lizard standing calm and placid he frowned. He listened again to the noises that were obviously made by something or someone in distress and a chilling thrill of adventure rushed through the young teen as his curiosity piqued. He looked around him then ran round to the other side of the Dragon excitedly. But what he saw wasn't an adventure at all.

It was pain.

A large animal that reminded him of a horse but with huge sharp horns on its head that looked a little like dead trees paced back and forth, nudging at something with its head. It was easily two times the size of Luffy and was walking with a very pronounced limp, staggering every so often. It whined softly then grunted loudly, each sound getting increasingly more desperate. Luffy craned his neck, trying to snatch a glance at what it was the horse-thing was nudging. He thought he saw the toe of a boot.

So, Luffy walked straight over to the enormous, potentially dangerous animal with a smile on his face.

Because that was Luffy.

* * *

Ace was interrupted from his sleep by someone shaking his shoulders roughly. He blinked once and scowled up at Franky's face, "Rude."

"Quit complaining, you've been asleep two hours and Luffy just got back with that pet of yours," Franky said, offering out his hand to help the other down off the rock. Ace took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, his muscles still lethargic from his nap, "I finished fixing the air filter, it'll be working for when the next downpour comes," The blue haired man continued, releasing Ace's hand and Ace made a 'blergh' sound in the back of his throat when he saw the oil and grease blackening his palm and quickly rubbed it off on his shorts.

Franky was a tall man, easily having at least a foot, if not more, of height over the two raven haired brothers and had a shock of blue hair that was long if he kept it down but was always slicked back in his signature quiff. His eyes were dark but soft and had small, undefined wrinkles at the corners from all of his smiling. That was one of the reasons Ace liked Franky; his optimistic attitude and warm smile kept all of their spirits up out here.

Another thing about Franky was that his body wasn't entirely his own. It was sort of but years back, before the whole goddamn war even started, Franky was in a traffic collision in which he'd been hit by a car. But, somehow, he'd managed to fix himself back together using his own engineering skills leaving him a part robotic man. Which, Ace thought, was so soooo awesome.

Ace, still rubbing the leg of his shorts with dirtied fingertips, smiled, "Great, thanks. I'm sorry Luffy broke it."

Franky chuckled, "It's alright, bro."

There was an almighty bang that caused the two men to jump and they turned to see Luffy running out of the house behind them, spouting nonsensical gibberish at the top of his voice in excitement.

"AceAceAceAceAceAce! I found-! Horse! Big horns! Green hair-! Andandandand-!"

Ace put out his hand calmly, taking the impact as Luffy crashed headfirst into him and held the young boy away at arms length, "Oi, Luffy, calm down. You're not making any sense."

He waited until the younger had finished writhing and flailing enough to deem it safe to let him go and when he did Luffy jumped up and down, jigging about, "Sosososo, I went out into the Waste and I found-"

Ace was thrown back by that, "You went out by YOURSELF?!" He whacked Luffy upside the head, "You idiot, you could've been KILLED!"

Luffy pouted, "But it was YOUR Dragon that ran off in the first place! It wasn't my fault!"

"You could've-! You! You're such a moron!"

"Yo guys, save the bro love for later," Franky butted in, watching the two bicker with an unimpressed expression, "I wanna hear what Luffy has to say."

Ace huffed and crossed his arms, leaning his weight onto his left leg so his hip jutted out at a jaunty angle and he quirked an eyebrow in anticipation. Luffy soon lost the grumpy expression and grabbed at one of Franky's thick wrists, "You have to see! I found a horse with twigs on its head and it's really really big and I found two guys as well and they're gonna be our Nakama and they're gonna play tag with me and-!"

Franky let himself be dragged away, a dazed look on his face as he tried to make sense of Luffy's gibberish and Ace followed, quick to cut in front of the two and open the door. To be honest, Ace was expecting some sort of shifty looking bandits to be in the first room frozen in being caught trying to rob them blind, but what lay in the room was another thing entirely.

As Luffy had said, two men were indeed in the room but they were laid on the floor, bodies limp and unmoving. He swore under his breath, "Shit... Franky!" He called and lunged at the duo on the floor whilst he waited for the other two to catch up. He analysed the situation.

The man to his left was broad in a muscular sense of the word and richly tanned. Dark scars ran rings around his solid neck and his hair was a spiky mess of bright green. From the corners of his mouth were dried trails of caked blood, thick and dark and his left arm was almost entirely black with bruises. He was breathing irregularly and Ace lifted up the man's shirt slightly, unsurprised when he found a torso marred with bruises- definitely cracked ribs.

Ace looked up as he heard Franky cry out, "Shit, Luffy! You could have said they were hurt!"

Luffy had a nervous smile and rubbed the back of his head, "I thought I said they were..."

Franky hunkered down next to the green haired man and Ace left him to it, moving over to get a look at the other unconscious man. He was thin and blonde with the most ridiculous eyebrows he'd ever seen but that didn't matter compared to the band of metal round his skinny neck and the blood that oozed out of it. Ace stared at the dull banded collar a moment before his senses caught up to him, "Luffy, your shirt!"

"Huh?"

"Your shirt, Luffy, your shirt!"

"Okay, okay!" The raven haired boy spluttered, grabbing at the hem of his shirt and tugging it over his head in one swift movement to throw it at Ace. He caught it mid air and fisted it into a tight ball to press at the blonde's throat, staunching the bloodflow. He glanced over his shoulder,

"We gotta help this one first, Franky, he's bleeding all over the place!"

Franky rocked up on his heels to look and his face blanched, "Holy... Yosh, help me lift him up then."

Ace shuffled up at the order and tied the cloth neatly around the blonde's throat for compression and then took the man under the arms, lifting him up whilst Franky took his legs and they moved him with ease, "Jeez he's light..." Ace murmured, his wrists pressed under the man's arms and rubbing against bony ribs.

Luffy watched his brother and friend carry the blonde out of the room and into the hallway, the cool air of the house making the bare flesh of his chest turn to goosebumps. He rubbed the scar under his left eye with a finger and took his leave, going across the hall to the opposite room which stood as a kitchen. He shuffled his way around the too big a table for such a small room, taking a bowl off the tabletop as he did so and stopped at the sink. He turned the handle of the tap and watched as clear water sloshed into the dish- Franky's water filters working perfectly. He then took one of Franky's more cleaner rags off the side, turned off the water flow and gathered the bowl up in his arms, carrying it back to the table. He then leaned over, hips pressed against the ledge of the battered wood and used his arms to drag the rusted tin towards him. He took this, the rag, and the water back into his arms and carried them back into the other room, setting them on the floor by the green haired man's chest.

He dipped the cloth into the water, letting the material soak up the wetness and squeezed it until it became damp. He then began rubbing at the man's bloodstained mouth and neck, removing all evidence of the dark red marks. Rinsing and draining the cloth again, Luffy folded it over and placed it on his forehead like Ace used to do to him to bring any fever down. He looked at the man's stomach, still exposed from Ace's looking, and frowned. The bruise was more like a stain than a mark, rich in colour and spread out wide as if someone had spilt ink. The same went for his left arm as well and Luffy nodded to himself, flicking open the tin lid and taking out a roll of bandages. Slowly, in the quiet now that Ace and Franky were gone, Luffy began to ravel the bandage around the injured limb, tightly securing the blackened fingers too.

Much later, Ace emerged to find the younger asleep amid a mess of white gauze and safety pins and the green haired man bandaged very well indeed. He smiled at his brother's efforts.

* * *

Number 16 was shaking.

Curled up on the cold floor with its cracked tiles and the tacky yellow surgical lights blaring down, he held onto himself a little tighter. The small body on the operation table was covered with a sheet he'd ripped from his own bed and dark, ominous patches of colour stained its whiteness. The chain and collar rattled with his tremors and the slave made choking noises as he tried valiantly to stop crying. His hands were covered in blood, the way in which it was drying made his skin feel as though it were tightening unbearably. His lungs failed him and he hacked out another unhealthy sounding cough.

'How could they live with themselves?' 16 thought, fresh tears burning his eyes, 'How could they do this?'

His tattooed and stained hands gripped at his head, matting his dark hair, "Make it stop!" He cried, the hoarseness of the words burning his throat.

She was too young. Too young. How could they have done that to her?

She had screamed for her father, cried for him in those last few moments. She had gripped at 16's coat with her hands, blood was everywhere. She was terrified. She was dying. She was dying.

He didn't save her. He didn't save her.

Her eyes had looked at him, pleaded at him 'don't let me die, don't let me die' and then they'd fizzed out. How could anyone do that? How could anyone do that to a child?

16 gripped his hair harder, inflicting more pain on himself and cried out, an inhuman wail that rattled throughout the building but was completely lost in the sounds of other slaves. He stared at the white hand that over hung the operation table and shook all the more, his eyesight wavy on tears.

She had only been fourteen.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: The Wastelands**

**Summary: Travelling alone since his early teens with no one but Chopper, a mutated reindeer, for company Zoro is more than surprised when he comes across a slave in the middle of the Wasteland and it doesn't take long for him to realise something isn't right. Hunted down by Slave Catchers and Masters alike, Zoro and Chopper are plunged into a side of their world they never wanted to go down as the blonde slave's past is seemingly out to get them all.**

**Warnings: Angst, Yaoi, Language, Slavery, Violence and infrequent brief descriptions of Gore.**

**AN: I know it's late and I'm very sorry for making you wait but I have three valid reasons:**

**1- I was ill last week with the flu**

**2- Homework essays**

**3- The length of this chapter caused some real stressful Writer's Block.**

**And to be honest, I'm not even sure I like this chapter but I think that it's mainly because it's piecing together the plot for Sanji, Zoro and Chopper's first proper 'Arc/Adventure' with Ace, Luffy and Franky in tow. I know the last chapter didn't really add up so much but it will definitely contribute to the main plotline- especially the dead girl in Trafalgar's scene. I can't even STRESS how important she will be haha :L So, next chapter will be up soon hopefully on time so you won't have to wait like this again. However I do have a tumblr account I set up recently so feel free to follow me- it's somewhere you'll be able to get regular updates on how far I am with each chapter and of any delays etc that will cause chapters to be late. I also reblog a hella lot of ZoSan and SanZo as well :D**

**My tumblr name is 'mustangisinflames' if anyone gets the two references you get a cookie :3**

**Onward with the chapter! Please enjoy and leave a review if you wish! I love reading them so much!~ **

**See you all again Saturday!**

* * *

Zoro sat at the table, four pairs of eyes watching him closely; two brown, one grey and one brilliant blue. Luffy, the youngest of them, was sat across from him swinging his legs with a big smile and an expectant look on his childish face. Zoro saw the scar on his left cheek and briefly wondered how it had got there. At the opposite end, to his left was Ace, a man, Zoro thought, that looked uncannily like his younger brother Luffy but with freckles and longer, more bedraggled hair. He had a more reserved look on his face, calm and relaxed as did Franky, the giant of a man sat to his right.

Zoro heard Sanji shuffle in his seat, making a noise of discomfort in his throat quietly. The blonde was sat alongside Zoro and pressed against him as close as he could, their shoulders touching. He had a nervous, uneasy look in his eyes and seemed to grip the fabric of his tattered jeans a little too tightly at just above his knees with both hands. The bandages around his neck had come lose during the day where he had either scratched at them or got them caught on the collar of the old shirt Franky had given him. It was too big and acted more like a dress than a shirt but Sanji didn't seem to care; the fabric was clean and warm and felt so good yet so foreign against his skin that had almost forgotten the sensation of soft cotton rubbing against it.

"So what happened out there?" Ace was the first to talk which wasn't surprising, within the first few hours of his regaining consciousness Zoro had noticed how Luffy and Franky followed the man's every word, Luffy usually with a sense of devotion and awe in his eyes. But Ace came across to him as a fair and kind person and was obviously the unspoken leader of their little group. Regardless, Ace had been the one to arrive first in the room Zoro had woken up in and the one to show him where Chopper was. The reindeer was safe and sound in a building that substituted a stable and was in good spirits, the bite tended to on his leg and he had given Zoro the biggest lick up the side of his chest, face and neck upon seeing him. Sanji had stayed close the whole time, silent and pale like a ghost.

"Sanji didn't tell you?" Zoro asked, answering the question with another one. He was surprised. Apparently he'd been out for two days after Luffy had found them and the cook was up and walking after one day of unconsciousness. This should have left plenty of time for the blonde to explain their situation... so why hadn't he? Zoro looked across at the mute blonde who was staring distantly at the green haired man's tightly bandaged left arm, his eyelids were almost closed so that the brilliant orbs of blue were more like black slivers that snuck out from under them and his pale lips were pressed together firmly in a tight line. Zoro looked back at Ace whom looked sympathetically at him,

"I don't think he's able to talk. That... thing around his neck must've cut him a little deeper than we thought when we removed it. He must've damaged his vocal cords or somethin'..." Ace said, "Sorry about that."

"But he was-" Zoro went to object, to say that that was a downright lie unless he had imagined the whole talk with the blonde earlier, but was cut off when Sanji's thin hand grabbed at his wrist, his bony fingers digging in surprisingly painfully. Blue eyes looked at him, imploring with him and he faltered. Fear flashed across Sanji's face and Zoro realised in that moment that the other man was afraid to speak. It wasn't because he was injured or traumatized, but because he was scared. Zoro bit his lip, the scab that had formed on the split rubbing roughly against his tongue, "It's okay, I understand," he said, referring back to Ace. Honestly he did understand, remembering how silent the blonde fell the moment Luffy burst into the bedroom and stopped the conversation about Sanji's past that had barely even started, "We were jumped by some bandit," Zoro continued, it wasn't the truth but it wasn't a blatant lie, "He tried to kill us and we defended ourselves, that's all really."

He left out the part about how Bellamy had been after Sanji for some intent or purpose that the blonde had yet to tell him, he didn't want Ace to get the wrong impression and think he was harbouring criminals. This was the most amount of people he'd been in direct contact with in years and, though it was perhaps a little selfish of him, he didn't want to let this opportunity slip or let these people leave him so soon without good reason.

However, Ace narrowed his eyes, "You killed a man out there and you expect me to believe it was out of defence? How do we know you aren't the bad guys here and you're just lookin' for an opportunity to kill us?"

Franky muttered a half hearted agreement, but Zoro could see in his face that the man was unsure of what to make of him and Sanji. Luffy just hummed happily, grin still plastered on his face, oblivious to the conversation. Sanji seemed to shrink on himself a little more.

"I'm sorry, but I have to say it," Ace continued, "You can't be too sure of the kind of people out there..."

Zoro nodded- boy, he knew that feeling, "But if this was all a plan to kill you, surely we would have done it by now? I mean, two days would be playing it out too long. And, well, you guys helped us so I guess you must've seen something in us?"

Ace thought this over a while, "I guess so. If this was a murder plan then it's far too elaborate and your wounds are real nasty, trust me, I've seen them. But I'm not sure... What do you think, Franky?"

The other man ran his hand through his blue hair, "I say they can stay here a while, recover a bit and we can keep an eye on them- make sure it's not a trap. But I agree with you, someone wouldn't badly hurt themselves in order to kill someone- especially Sanji's wounds. I don't think we should suspect you guys," Franky said, looking at the green haired man and the blonde, "But you can excuse us for being cautious, right?"

"I understand," Zoro said.

Suddenly Luffy piped up, "So what's happening then?"

"Were you even listening?!" Ace scolded and the younger laughed.

"No, it was too boring... So are they staying?"

"For a while, yes," Franky confirmed, "But we have to-"

"Yay! New Nakama!" Luffy screamed, jumping up from his seat and promptly cutting Franky off. He leapt onto the table top in a blur and shoved his grinning face right into Zoro's. Zoro felt Sanji peel himself away from him to sit on the farthest point of his chair. His eyes were more wary than ever, obviously not liking Luffy's lack of knowledge in personal space. Zoro instantly missed the feeling of the blonde's fingers on his wrist, "Neh, Zoro, you'll play with me right?" Luffy said, pining for attention and Zoro smiled slightly at the bright brown eyed boy; something about Luffy made him feel happier,

"Sure," He replied and the raven haired boy gasped and clapped his hands, "Yosh! Let's go!"

He got no further than snatching for Zoro's hand when Ace spoke, "Oi, Luffy, you can play with them all you want but they're not allowed outside unless I say, alright?"

"What? Why?" Luffy asked, successfully managing to capture Zoro's arm. Ace leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs at the ankles and folding his arms. He fixed Zoro with a look.

"They know why."

Although Ace had asked him no question, Zoro nodded his head. Franky smiled reassuringly at him, "Don't worry, I'll take super good care of your reindeer."

Luffy huffed, "I already told you it's not a reindeer. It's a mystery horse!"

Franky rolled his eyes but laughed anyway, he then stood up, "Well I gotta check on the air filter again," He turned back to Ace, "We're due another Rain tonight apparently... Can't be too safe."

Ace nodded and got to his feet also, "I'll help you out then- make sure the animals are locked up safe," The two excused themselves and left via the back door that led to the world outside. Zoro and Luffy watched them go and it wasn't until he was sure the door was fully shut that the young boy pounced. He dropped Zoro's hand, gambolled off the table and with a cry of 'Let me show you round the house!' he bounded off down the hallway, almost crashing into the walls before skidding into a room out of sight. The sound of his laughter bubbled up the hall to the kitchen.

Zoro sighed fondly at the hyperactive boy's behaviour and got up to follow after him, he reached behind him to press his palms to the small of his back and pushed, stretching out the cramped muscles. He groaned slightly at the pain that rumbled in his bruised stomach and danced up his broken ribs. Suddenly, Sanji grabbed his arm. Zoro looked up, startled to see the blonde standing to. When did that happen? He hadn't heard him move.

"I'm sorry," Sanji said, confirming that he could in fact talk and that Zoro hadn't hallucinated the entire conversation between them earlier. But what he was apologising for, Zoro had no idea. He must've been frowning because Sanji then gestured to the bandages that encased his arm and snaked their way around his torso, "You were nearly killed because of me."

"You're my friend, Sanji. Friends have each other's backs," He said, voice firm, sure and unwavering. The blonde had also tried to apologise to him earlier and his response had been the same then. Really, did Sanji think so little of him?

"We only met a few days ago and we know nothing about each other besides names and how old we are. How can you call us friends when we're still strangers?" The blonde mused.

"Sanji-" Zoro started but was cut off by Luffy peering around the door frame further down the hall.

"Neh, come on guys! I wanna show you everything!" He pouted before disappearing once more.

Zoro turned his gaze back on Sanji but the blonde was looking down at the ground beneath his one bare and one bandaged feet. His jaw was firmly clenched shut and his drawn face from that angle showed clearly his sharp cheekbones that jutted out from malnutrition. Underneath the bandages around his neck protruded a few blossoming dots of red that were slowly getting larger in size and richer in colour. Zoro's lips parted.

"I think we should go see what Luffy wants," The green haired man said.

Sanji gave no response other than the soft but slightly ragged sound of his breathing. Zoro turned and left down the hall, following Luffy's route and expecting the blonde to come along as well. When he heard no footsteps behind him he looked back to see Sanji had sat back down with his head in his hands and his white fingers clutching tightly at long blonde strands of hair. Zoro thought he saw his shoulders shaking but before he could change his mind and go back Luffy was dragging him into the room, leaving the blonde to relieve his troubles through quiet drips that splashed on the table.

* * *

Sanji didn't join them for dinner. The table was in much the same seating plan as it had been that morning just minus the blonde who should be sitting next to him. The meal was good- some of the best food Zoro had eaten in ages- despite it being some sort of stew of which the contents remained unnamed. Zoro was kind of grateful that Ace hadn't indulged into the ingredient list. He was sure that despite the pleasant taste, the actual food was probably disgusting: he was better off not knowing.

Dinner was a brief experience. Zoro was shocked at how fast the three men could eat, each scarfing their serving down like there was no tomorrow. There was a lot of talk about the 'Rain' that was apparently forecasted and though the men themselves didn't seem to pleased about it, all their conversation had managed to work Zoro up into a sense of excitement. He hadn't seen rain in years. It wasn't something he'd greatly missed- his loss of Kuina, Koshiro, and the homesickness that came from longing for them back were far bigger factors in his life now- but the discussion of it had him remembering times long gone. They were vague fragments of memory in some places, flashes of water falling from the sky and running down the window, whilst others were stronger and more prominent; memories of him and Kuina playing outside, the cold feeling of droplets drenching their clothes and soaking his skin; the giggles of barely contained excitement as they both huddled under some form of shelter, waiting for the worst of it to pass.

So now Zoro found himself wanting to have those experiences again and he could hardly stop himself from smiling at times as he took another mouthful of food.

Ace stood up and gathered the dishes including Zoro's now empty one and deposited them in the sink with a muttered promise to wash them later. He then addressed Luffy who, Zoro had sussed out, was Ace's younger brother, "Oi, do something useful and help me feed the animals, yeah?" He said and, ignoring Luffy's whines of protest, was eventually resorted to having to haul the younger out of his chair and out of the door.

The remaining two men sat in an awkward silence until a thud from upstairs made the floorboards above rattle on their fixed places on the beams. Zoro's head instantly snapped up knowing full well only one person was currently up there; what was that blonde up to? Franky looked up as well, a flash of confusion on his face, "Hell was that?" He asked.

Zoro hurriedly got out of his chair, the previous excitement about the possibility of rain forgotten and replaced by concern. He stepped into the hallway and looked up the stairs that ran up to the next floor. Nothing but the dim outline of room doors met him. He heard Franky move in the kitchen, "Go see what that was, would you? I gotta go fix the door Luffy broke..."

"Sure," The green haired man replied, a quick warm feeling at being trusted by the other arising before being smothered again by worry.

"Call me if you need anything, I'll be down here," Came the response, followed shortly by the clanking of metal objects being put on the table.

Zoro didn't need telling twice and made his way up, his uninjured arm stretched to grab the banister and the boards of each step groaning under the weight. The tour he'd received from Luffy earlier had been very thorough but had required intense concentration so as to make sense of Luffy's fastly spoken and word crammed sentences. It had taken effort and an insane amount of picking out words but now Zoro knew roughly where everything in the house was including all the switches. He flicked one of them down at that moment, marvelling over the way the lights flashed once before turning on and casting the floor in brightness.

He looked to his left where a small window granted him the view of the reddish sky, the faintest wisps of inky black alerting him to the fast approaching night time- he noticed a few clouds as well. Wondering if this was the warning for the aforementioned Rain, he almost jumped when he saw movement behind him and his eyes followed it to see Sanji stood at the other end of the hall, reflected perfectly in the glass. The blonde had one arm wrapped around his chest and his other hand pressed firmly over his mouth in, from what his wide eyes suggested, shock. His face was pale again and he stood with a sort of defeated slump in his back. Zoro noticed he was wearing nothing but underwear and the bandages wrapped around his neck. They were stained with patches of blood.

Sanji swallowed and slowly removed his hand and Zoro turned round to face the blonde, "Sanji-"

"I need to tell you everything," The blonde cut him off, the look of horror in his eyes was replaced with determination, "Now."

With that Sanji shot back into the room he had appeared from leaving the other to take a moment processing what he just said. It didn't take long for Zoro to follow after him.

When Zoro walked into the room the first thing he noticed was the cracked mirror in the corner, shards of it exploded outwards on the floor and a small metal box laying amongst the debris. That explained the noise earlier. Sanji was sat on the bed, legs over the edge and feet touching the wooden boards, his toes curled painfully tight. Zoro stalled upon seeing the blonde. Sanji was still wearing just the pair of boxer briefs and was fisting at dirty strands of his hair and now Zoro could truly appreciate just how thin he was. His ribs jutted out, skin pulled taught over them and they only stuck out worse when he breathed in. His stomach, eye sockets and cheeks were sunken and dipped in in dramatic little ditches. Zoro could see nearly all of his bones; the joints of his wrists and ankles, collarbones and kneecaps, and, when he leaned a little to the side, the rigid rise and fall of his vertebrae and sharp angles of his shoulderblades that looked like they could cut a man. Add that to his pale complexion, the two glittering numbers branded on his torso, the bandages that swathed his neck and the blonde, bedraggled hair, Zoro was certain he had never seen a more broken person in his life. Something in his chest became painfully tight.

Blue eyes met his own mismatched ones and Sanji licked his dried lips once nervously, "Joker," he said.

There it was again: that word, that name. Slowly, Zoro shut the wooden door behind him. From the far side of the room the pipes that connected Franky's water system gurgled like somebody drowning and the sound of hammering, softened by the closed door, drifted up from downstairs. Sanji sighed and lowered his hands from their death grips in his hair to trace the outline of his knees, "Have you heard of him?" He asked.

Zoro shook his head, "No."

The blonde frowned and looked down at his knees, watching how his fingertips graced along the ridges of bone, "Sit down," he whispered.

Zoro complied, settling down next to the blonde when he realised there were no chairs in the room. Sanji cleared his throat, "Joker..." He trailed off, voice almost cracking at the end, "Joker... Have you heard of a company called 'SMILE'?"

"No," Zoro said again and Sanji laughed, a note of bitterness in it.

"I've got a lot to tell you then, so you better listen good..."

Zoro nodded, eyes never leaving the blue eyed man as he began to tell his story.

"You were about eight when the bombs went off, right? About twelve years ago now? Yeah, you were eight. Anyway, before they happened there was some sort of uproar about SMILE. They weren't exactly a big company but the technology they were supplying people wasn't exactly the good kind..."

Zoro frowned and Sanji briefly locked eyes with him before looking away again.

"Nuclear weapons unlike anything anyone on this planet had ever made before. These weapons were so powerful whole countries could be disintegrated in just one explosion. One bomb was all it would take. So, naturally North Blue wanted it for themselves. Who wouldn't have wanted them? Anyone who held those weapons would control everything, there'd never be a war again for fear one of those things would be let off. So All Blue, the capital of North Blue, bought them and stockpiled them without a second thought of how scared their civilians were and SMILE moved their company into the outskirts of the city. All Blue was my hometown, I remember walking past it everyday on my way to school. It wasn't a nice place to walk by and now I think of it... I don't think anyone who went there to work never came back out..." Sanji rubbed his knees, still focused intensely on them as his mind was forced to speak of the things he'd tried to keep hidden, "Everything was fine to begin with, All Blue never used the weapons and kept them only as a symbol of warning to any threatening countries. But, as you can imagine, everything went wrong..." The blonde looked up with a sarcastic smile on his face that made Zoro feel uncomfortable, "SMILE started dealing under the table. Before we knew it, it was discovered East, West, South, everyone had the weapons, each from it's own secretly based SMILE... and we were all on the edge of war."

Zoro nodded, he remembered that part. The tension in his home town, fear of which country would strike first. Sanji huffed in some sort of twisted fondness, "And then someone in the North Blue government was assassinated, we all turned against each other and, well, you know the rest... Thing is it wasn't any of the other countries who were responsible."

Zoro frowned, "It wasn't?" He recalled how his home town, the people he grew up with, were so adamant that everyone else was to blame for what had happened up to the point where Zoro had almost started to believe them himself. Sanji shook his head,

"Of course it wasn't. It was SMILE. Well, to be more specific, the Head of SMILE- a man called Donquixote Doflamingo."

"Donquixote...?"

"Or Joker, if you'd prefer..."

Zoro looked Sanji up and down, "You keep on throwing this Joker name around so much, just who is he?"

Sanji scowled and Zoro watched as the blonde dug his rigid and bitten down nails into the little flesh he had on his thighs, hard enough and deep enough to leave small crescent shaped marks, "Joker-san... Is... He gave- he-" The blonde broke off and gave a short but frustrated growl in the back of his throat. He then turned his upper body with a suddeness that made Zoro shift away a little, nervous he was about to be attacked. Sanji did raise his hand but it fell on the two scars jutting out of his collarbone, "He did this," he said, pressing his fingers firmly on the two ridges to emphasize the word 'this'.

Zoro swallowed, "What? Why would he-?"

"You wanted to know if I ran away from my Master," Sanji said softly and when he locked eyes with Zoro there was nothing but deep fear in them, "I did. I ran away. Joker is my Master, Zoro and he won't stop until he gets me back. He's a dangerous man. After we're done here Zoro we have to go seperate ways. He'll go through anyone, he'll kill you. People like Bellamy won't stop coming after me and they just get stronger and stronger. You haven't seen his men, Zoro. If Bellamy could nearly kill you then there'll be nothing left of you when the next one comes-"

"What does Joker want with you?" Zoro asked, unable to wrap his head around the fact Sanji's Master would go so far just to get him back. There must be some specific reason why someone would go to all that trouble for just one slave. Weren't slaves supposed to be replaceable? If so then why was Joker being so damn persistent?

Sanji paused in his ranting only to open his mouth and close it again and again, "I- he... Ugh, it's too damn hard to explain I-"

"ZORO! SAANJIII! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!" Luffy's foghorn of a voice blasted up from outside the room somewhere, making both men jump. Two seconds later the door swung open, the handle banging off the wall, and Luffy peered in, smiling at them both, "Ace wants you! It's starting to rain and it's really cool! You gotta come see!" He crowed before bounding back outside where the floorboards creaked as he jumped up and down, "Come on, come on, come on!"

Zoro looked at the blonde to see that cold, closed look on his face again from earlier at the table that morning. He sighed and stood up, cursing Luffy's poor choice in timing, "Are you coming?" He asked.

Sanji closed his eyes and shook his head, "No... Tell them I don't feel well or something," He whispered.

Zoro frowned, "Why won't you talk to them? There nice people."

Sanji lay down on his side and curled in on himself, "I just can't right now... I..." The blonde left the sentence hanging, not bothering to finish it.

Zoro nodded, unsure of whether or not he should leave the blonde on his own right now before cracked mirror caught his attention, "Did you break it?" He asked, looking at it pointedly. Sanji didn't meet his gaze,

"So what if I did?"

"You can't just break their stuff, Sanji, they'll get pissed. Why did you break it?" Zoro said, worried if Ace would be angry at the damage done to his property. Sanji turned over so that his back was facing the green haired man, Zoro internally grimaced at the perfect outlines of bone.

"I saw something I didn't want to," The blonde answered cryptically and Zoro frowned,

"What?"

Sanji said nothing in response.

Silently, Zoro left the room to bump into Luffy whom was jigging up and down on the spot; a never ending ball of energy, "Come on, come on, you're gonna miss- huh? Where's Sanji?"

"He's too tired," Zoro lied passively and watched as Luffy's face dropped for a moment.

"Oh."

"It's alright, he said maybe next time," Zoro reassured him and the young boy's face immediately split back into a grin.

"Okay then! Yosh! Let's go, Zoro! You're gonna miss it if you don't hurry up!"

Zoro followed the boy as he shot off at lightning speed down the stairs with a heavy mind. He reflected back on everything Sanji had told him; SMILE, the weapons, Joker and the war. But what bothered him most was that Sanji was certain his Master would stop at nothing to find him. What did Sanji have that Joker would so desperately want?

_'It's too damn hard to explain_...'

It was too damn hard to _understand_, more like.

Zoro thought back to the blonde lying on his bed, the mirror cracked from where he'd broken it.

_'I saw something I didn't want to.'_

Those words caused the uncomfortable feeling in his gut to tighten to the point where he felt sick. He realised that Sanji's wounds didn't just stop at the scars on his neck and collar bone, they went much more deeper than that, and the further down the stairs he got the less excited Zoro was to see the rain from his childhood once more.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary: Travelling alone since his early teens with no one but Chopper, a mutated reindeer, for company Zoro is more than surprised when he comes across a slave in the middle of the Wasteland and it doesn't take long for him to realise something isn't right. Hunted down by Slave Catchers and Masters alike, Zoro and Chopper are plunged into a side of their world they never wanted to go down as the blonde slave's past is seemingly out to get them all.**

**WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DOFLAMINGO- you know well enough bad things are gonna happen :L Also, violence , language and slavery/abuse.**

**I might have to put the rating up- let me know if you think I should. **

**AN:Don't like this chapter at all but it's actually necessary or this plot is gonna crash and burn terribly. I rewrote this like, ten times and I'm still not satisfied with it at all :S**

**Also, the one-shot between Chopper and Zoro will be up around Christmas Day as a present to you all ^-^**

**I really apologise for the suckiness and the length of this chapter. Also, it's late again and I'm really sorry for that :/**

**My tumblr: mustangisinflames. Raigon got the references right! *gives you cyber cookie* ^-^**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it : )**

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Deft fingers hooked around the handle of the chipped teacup. The once white ceramic of it stained a permanent dirty yellow with grim black lines running up it. The hand lifted it up to soft lips that parted to blow gently, wafting away the wisps of steam that gave inclination to the hot beverage inside. A sip was taken and the cup was lowered slightly so that the mouth of Donquixote Doflamingo could be seen,

"I set an easy task, you know. I asked for him to be brought back to me and what have I been answered with?" He said calmly, but the firm tug of disappointment pulling down the corners of his mouth gave his true thoughts away. From behind tinted shades, he looked expectantly at the slave in front of him.

The man before him stood tall with a posture that radiated strength and a toned physique to match. His collar, a thick cold band of black, wrapped around his stocky neck and matched the shade of his short hair and perfectly shaved sideburns that ran in two sort of zigzags. On his cheek, just below his left eye was a scar, a hot white against his skin colour that branded him with his number: Two.

"You have been answered with disappointment, Joker-san," He said.

Doflamingo cocked an eyebrow, "Correct. And just what are you going to do about it?"

"If you would let me, my master, I could go out myself and-"

"No," The blonde man said, putting his cup down harder than usual for emphasis, "That will not be permitted."

"As you wish," Two said, dipping his head slightly in a half-bow, "Whom do you wish to send then?"

"He was headed towards Alabasta, was he not?" Doflamingo said, tilting his head to the side. He was stood at a desk, all ten feet of him making him loom threateningly over everything in the room. With a free hand, he twirled a feather coyly and smiled privately to himself, "I'll put my beloved Crocodile on alert shall I? I don't want to have to bring in a higher force, Vergo-san, but your subordinates are of no help to me at all."

"I didn't ask for Bellamy to-"

"I don't care what you told him," The Master snapped suddenly in a voice harsh and sharp enough to make Two (Vergo) flinch, "The point is he acted and the results were less than satisfactory. You know our deal Vergo-san, and if you're not intending to keep your side of the bargain I will very much enjoy keeping mine."

Two instinctively brought his hand to the scar glaring out from his cheek, shielding it from sight and a hardened look crossed his face, "Yes, Joker-san... You-you should inform Crocodile that Twenty Eight isn't travelling alone..."

Doflamingo's frown gave way for surprised arcs, "Oh?"

Two was now looking anywhere except at the man he stood before, his collar rattled as he turned his neck, "Bellamy had made reports beforehand saying there were another two companions; a green haired mutant and a large deer-like animal."

Doflamingo laughed, "Found himself some friends already, eh? Fufufu! I shall tell Crocodile to bring them all in then, I've been meaning to expand my collection recently. Anyway, Twenty Eight can have his little adventure for now, I'm sure he and his little friends would love to see how far we've expanded his... talent. Fufufu..."

Two nodded, still not meeting his Master in the eyes.

"A mutation that causes the effects of radiation to reverse," The blonde mused, "Ironic isn't it? That the radiation that caused so much pain and death also created its own cure?... Like quelling fire with fire, eh?"

Two shrugged, "If you want to get all poetic about it..."

"Yes... I think we should draw it out for a while. I want to see the look on dear little Sanji-kun's face when he realises just what his 'amazing little cure' has exactly enabled me to do," Doflamingo gathered up the cup in his hand again and took another sip, "I'd very much like to see how this all plays out."

"Hai, Joker-san."

Two watched as the tall, gaudily dressed man who was so out of place in this awful, poisonous world with his sense of style but fitted in perfectly with his venomous personality, admire the array of polished rings on the fingers of his free hand. He wondered how it had come down to this; this one man who stood before him with all the power a god had and only a lowly mortal could dream of. Two had expected him to panic as soon as he had heard of Twenty Eight's escape but here he was, smiling and laughing to himself like there was nothing wrong at all. He would've said Doflamingo had gone completely insane if he hadn't of figured it out years ago.

"How is Mihawk?"

Two looked up to see the other looking at him expectantly and he cleared his throat, "He got the message..."

The blonde nodded, "And the girl?"

Two sucked in a sharp breath, a deep pain that came from inside reflected in his eyes, "She... didn't make it..."

Doflamingo laughed, a harsh brutal noise escaping his lips, "You must've done a number on her if even Sixteen couldn't fix her!" Two grit his teeth and looked away. The other man noticed but there was no sympathy from him, only more joy, "What's wrong Vergo-san? You know our deal... What? Are you going a little soft?"

"She was fourteen, Joker-san..." Two said softly, fearing that if he spoke at a normal volume his voice would surely give out.

"Hmm? Oh, wow. You know what? I still don't care," Doflamingo said and put the cup back down, moving forward a few spaces until Two was cast in an almighty shadow. The blonde bent down slightly, "When people work for me, they know the rules... And they know the consequences of breaking them. I suspected Mihawk of a betrayal of sorts and I was completely justified in what I did- watching a loved one be tortured is simply the only good way of getting the truth out of someone. The fact that his daughter died was a nothing but fate- I wasn't to blame for that unfortunate outcome."

Two was trying not to shake, not to show a weakness under this man's watchful and greedy gaze. But inside his head his thoughts were sour and bitter, 'You ARE to blame' his mind was screaming, 'You knew she would die. The things you made me do to her no person could have survived from. You had me MURDER her. You had me MURDER HER.' But, silently, he stood looking back up at the man who towered over him and he took a moment to collect a sentence in his head, "Of course you're not to blame, Joker-san."

"People will die, Vergo, it's how the world works and how it will always work. There is no changing that. We have our agreement; I run this whole show and you enforce the script I write to those who are unwilling to act it out as I plan. They are my puppets and I am the puppeteer. Your duty to me is to make sure they don't forget that or you will be made a puppet yourself, do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Joker-san."

"You will not be weak, you will do as I say and you will not pity others," Suddenly Doflamingo grasped Two by the collar and the smaller man hissed in pain as he let himself be dragged forward, "You do not belong to me simply because of the deal that you offered, but if you ever, ever, go back on your word you will be mine until your very last breath."

Two swallowed, wincing at the sharp biting pain in his neck, "Y-yes..." He grunted and cried out when the taller shook him roughly.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes Joker-san!"

Two stumbled backwards as the other shoved him aside, finally relieving him of the tightness of the collar, "You are a valuable piece to me, Vergo-san, but don't get too comfortable because I can easily make you a pawn."

Two moved his hands from where he clasped the metal ring and looked down at his blood smeared palms, the vibrant shade of scarlet glaring threateningly at him as did the gleam in Doflamingo's glasses. He had no choice.

He couldn't become a slave.

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**AN: Oh wow, this chapter fucking sucks. Ah well, in the next chapter: Chopper, more Zoro and Sanji and Ace sets himself on fire! :) **


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